Materials Used in Sculpture

Modern sculpture is a unique art form in that it can use nearly any material, from the more traditional lump of clay or slab of stone to everyday objects like a garden hose or umbrella. The materials used in sculpture weren't always so varied, and sculptors of the past relied on a smaller set of materials to create three-dimensional art forms. For example, Michelangelo was famous for his marble carving and Brunelleschi was known for his metal-casting. Thanks to a broadening of the term "sculpture" during the second half of the 20th century, modern-day sculptors can use pretty much any material or technique that suits their purposes. This makes for a more interesting art world, but it also means that it is no longer that simple to list the materials used in sculpture.

With that said, some more traditional materials are more commonly used in sculpture than others, including wax, stone, clay, glass, wood, plaster and metal. Modern sculptors may also use rubber, fabric and a variety of random "found" objects. While sculpture is generally associated with techniques like carving or modeling, these materials can be formed or combined in any number of ways, including molding, sewing, casting, welding or otherwise assembling.

Modern sculpture has also expanded to include environmental sculpture, a newer type of sculpture that involves surrounding or encompassing the viewer rather than just facing them with an object, as is the case with the more traditional types of freestanding or relief sculpture. This new type of sculpture has further added to the nearly limitless list of sculpture materials, even including more abstract materials like light, sound and odor. However, famous environmental sculptors like George Segal and Edward Kienholz also make use of more traditional sculpture materials, including plaster and stone.