Relief sculpture

Essential Question Think of the Rosetta Stone as a relief sculpture. How would you prepare a Rosetta stone for future generations, explaining the meaning of each chemical symbol used to identify each element ... 

Relief sculpture has been used since prehistoric times, and it is still popular today. It is frequently seen in architecture, where it is used as decoration on the exterior and interior walls of buildings. It is seen in ceramics and jewelry, and in many works of contemporary painting. 

As can be seen from the list above, relief subject matter can be almost anything. We have faces, musical instruments, singing angels, a dying lioness, and mythical themes. Now we will try something new. For our purposes, it is appropriate that we use a chemistry theme for our relief construction. The varied and sometimes unique shapes of molecules will provide unusual and interesting material for the subject matter of a relief sculpture. 

Now we are ready to construct molecular models that will provide subject matter for a relief sculpture. The molecules can be arranged like pieces of a puzzle in a pleasing composition to form a unique work of art. 

Students will arrange their molecular models into a composition to be used as the subject matter for a relief sculpture. 

What is the best way to arrange your molecular models to form a relief sculpture with interesting positive and negative space ... 

In Armenia, the Noravank Monastery has a relief sculpture of Christ surrounded by Peter and Paul and a dome having an octahedral umbrella. The artist and mathematician M. C. Escher used octahedral and trigonal-bipyrimadal shapes in many of his works. 

Students will design relief sculptures based on previously constructed molecular models, emphasizing interesting negative and positive space, visual movement through shape, and visual texture applied to positive shapes. 

Students will construct clay molds and cast plaster to create relief sculptures. 

Essential Question What important social and religious purposes have relief sculptures served ... 

Rogers, L. R. Relief Sculpture. New York Oxford University Press, 1974. 

The erosion caused by acid rain is dramatically illustrated by the damage it causes to buildings and works of art, including pieces of sculpture, such as this bas relief in Venice, Italy. (Cristina Pedrazzini/Photo Researchers, Inc.)... 

Relief Plaster Sculpture Using a Clay Mold... 

Level One Relief Plaster Sculpture Emphasizing Interesting Positive and Negative Space... 

Level Two Relief Plaster Sculpture Emphasizing Positive and Negative... 

Gaston Plante was very active in the field of electrochemistry. He replaced the then used platinum electrode with lead electrode in the process of reproduction of full-relief figures in galvanoplastics. This method was employed for the fabrication of the sculptures decorating the front of the Opera house in Paris. In 1866, Gaston Plante explored the electrolytic production of ozone. He came to the conclusion that production of ozone should be performed using lead electrodes instead of platinum. 

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