Metal Materials In The Creation Of Contemporary Sculpture

This paper mainly focuses on the using of metal materials in modern sculpturing. It first discusses how metal materials have transformed themselves from mere mediums to independent art languages. It then analyzes how metal materials were understood and utilized by sculpturers since the early 20th century. Finally, in the modern context of sculpturing and in view of the author's own artistic experiment with metal materials, the paper explores how the spiritual value of metal materials should be integrated into the creation of sculptures and tires to find proper forms of artistic representation that are in line with the Zeitgeist.The paper consists of three parts. Part One introduces the liberation of metal material languages in sculptural art; it also expounds on the aesthetic shift brought by the change of time and the nascence of metal sculpturing as a new form of art. Part Two mainly deals with the forms and development of metal materials since the early 20th century. Combing through the different forms of metal sculpturing capitalized on by artists of every period since the 20th century, this part probes into the driving forces behind the forms and the diversified material languages. Part Three elaborates on the proper selection and utilization of metal materials. With experience and understanding gained through personal artistic experimentation, the author tries to decipher the spiritual language of metal materials and to find art forms that feature idiosyncrasy and individuality.