Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

This book lays out the fundamental structural issues of concern to creators and commissioners of sculpture, from balance and geometry to the structural characteristics of different materials. Schodek elucidates structural principles through examinations of work of sculptors that include historical figures like Auguste Rodin as well as contemporary artists such as Richard Serra, Alexander Calder, and Christo.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

This book approaches sculpture from the structural perspective, as physical rather than aesthetic object. Schodek (Harvard Graduate School of Design) explains characteristics of materials and fundamental structural principles through the examination of historical and contemporary sculpture. His primary purpose is to demonstrate that an understanding of structual realities is a significant practical asset in the shaping of sculptural form. The text is a well-balanced blend of practical and theoretical information that consciously strives to be accessible. However, the language and mathematical basis of the subject require an intelligent and engaged reader. The book fills a void: no other work devoted to the structuralist's approach is currently available. This is a well-made, large-format book full of pertinent and useful black-and-white illustrations and diagrams. In the absence of a bibliography, the publication makes effective use of notes, and it contains four, detailed appendixes. The book will be especially useful to those who work on large-scale projects involving collaboration between artists and engineers and should be acquired by academic libraries in institutions with serious programs in sculpture and/or architecture. Graduate; professional. J. A. Day; University of South Dakota