Be a Sculpture Critic

In Be a Sculpture Critic section, learn how to critique sculptures by learning the elements of design and principles of design. Also learn how to compare and contrast sculptures. 

After you have learned how to critique, select a sculpture and record your answers to the Write About It questions in a notebook or a digital document.  Use the Sculpture Word Bank to help with your responses.

Google Drive/Classroom Users: You can go under File and select "Make a Copy" or "Print" to access the Artopia Sculpture - Write About It worksheet.

Carving - Moses (after Michelangelo) | Artopia
Carving - Moses (after Michelangelo) | Artopia

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Edmonia Lewis A Closer Look We often hear that copying is wrong, but a good way to study techniques of art is to imitate the works of other artists. 400 years after Michelangelo, Edmonia Lewis lived...
Carving - Peplos Kore (Peplophoros) | Artopia
Carving - Peplos Kore (Peplophoros) | Artopia

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Anonymous A Closer Look Artworks made during a particular time and place often look similar to one another. We call them "stylized." Many artworks from the Archaic Period of ancient Greece resemble...
Carving - Slave Called Atlas | Artopia
Carving - Slave Called Atlas | Artopia

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Michelangelo A Closer Look Do you think this sculpture by Michelangelo is finished...or is the artist making a statement about slavery? What do you think he would be trying to say? There is a strong...
Casting - Monument to Balzac | Artopia
Casting - Monument to Balzac | Artopia

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Auguste Rodin A Closer Look What expression has Auguste Rodin given his Monument to Balzac? What does it tell you about the writer? Rodin was an Impressionist, interested in how light affected an...
Casting - Queenie II | Artopia
Casting - Queenie II | Artopia

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Duane Hanson A Closer Look Queenie II was in an exhibit once at the Nevada Museum of Art. The night before the show opened a false fire alarm went off. When the firefighters arrived they were...
Casting - Reversed Double Helix | Artopia
Casting - Reversed Double Helix | Artopia

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Takashi Murakami A Closer Look The double helix is the structure of the DNA molecule, a twisted ladder-like stack of building blocks called nucleotides. Our DNA makes us who we are. Why do you think...
Casting - Spider | Artopia
Casting - Spider | Artopia

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Louise Bourgeois A Closer Look Line is one of the main elements of design in Spider. Look how the lines lead up from the ground to the body of the spider. This is such a simple sculpture, yet its...
Casting - The Bronco Buster | Artopia
Casting - The Bronco Buster | Artopia

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Frederic Remington A Closer Look Look at the movement in The Bronco Buster. It seems to jump right out of the metal cast. The horse rears up on its hind legs, pushing the cowboy into the air...
Earthworks -  Spiral Jetty | Artopia
Earthworks - Spiral Jetty | Artopia

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Robert Smithson A Closer Look The movement of Spiral Jetty takes off from the shoreline to the center of the spiral. Smithson used black rock and earth to make this piece. The consistency of the...
Ephemeral Art - Icicle Star | Artopia
Ephemeral Art - Icicle Star | Artopia

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Andy Goldsworthy A Closer Look Look at the beautiful form Andy Goldsworthy has created using icicles. What an unusual material! It looks just like its name, Icicle Star. Each icicle is a straight line...