HISTORY OF SCULPTURE

 Over time, the use of sculptures evolved such that by the start of civilization, people
used them as a representation of gods. Ancient kings who wished to immortalize their
rules had statues made in their likeness, and in so doing, they led to the beginning of
portrait sculpting, an art that continues to date.

 The Greeks too made use of sculptures, and a quick overview of their history reveals the
use of statues to depict the form of human beings, in dimensions thought to be the ideal
form of humans. The church too made use of figures. Back in the day, not many people
were able to read or write, and the church thus needed a representation of what was
right and evil and one that did not call for literacy. Thus, the use of statues depicting
demons and devils became necessary, and it worked in reminding the churchgoers of
their faith. Towards the end of the fifteenth century, people began to create statues
using different techniques.

THE BEGINNING
 The belief is that sculpting is one of the oldest forms of art, as it came to be before the
discovery of painting. However, there aren’t many objects which can point to this truth.
There exist hundreds of works made by sculptors in primitive cultures, and they act as a
pointer as to what was existent before the evolution of this art. By what is available, it is
clear that this art did not begin as a way to depict beauty, but instead, it was out of
necessity. People created these forms for use in rituals geared towards their spirituality.
At the time, people lived a life where they had to fight for survival, and this art created a
form of solace which they could look to when times get hard.

 The historical objects include figures of humans, animals as well as their combinations,
and people worshipped them. The forms represented spirits which people would ask for
blessings in the form of strong heirs, healthy crops, successful hunting and other things
that added to their lives. The spiritual leaders also wore sculpted masks, and they would
perform rituals in them, driving away spirits which people believed were evil.

THE ANCIENT
 Many early civilizations such as China and Egypt, amongst others, made use of sculpting,
which eventually led to the dawn of several forms of writing.

EGYPT
 The Egyptians had a strong belief in death such that when their Pharaoh died, they
would bury him with goods which could meet his needs in life after that. They also
preserved the bodies and placed them in pyramids. They had many statues, which
served as representations of their gods, the nobles and their rulers and these were
available in the burial sites and their temples. They believed that spirits could return to
these statues.
  There were also smaller statues which showed the people’s way of living. Some would
represent their sailing activities, and others would show them herding cattle while
others were a depiction of their house chores. The statues were such that the appeared
alive.

MESOPOTAMIA
 Mesopotamia had a history of dealing with invasive floods and armies, and the society
lacked the resources required for majestic structures. However, they created art using
light materials such as shells, clay, and wood. The figures had cone shapes with small
heads, large eyes and pointed noses, which was entirely different from what the
Egyptians made.

 Modern sculptors, borrowing from these civilizations and others such as the
Romans and Greeks, were able to enhance the beauty of the art, thus relaying
emotions, reality, and aesthetics in their resultant pieces.

FIVE SCULPTORS AND THEIR GREATEST MASTERPIECES