Origins of Modern Sculpture: Pioneers and Premises

by Albert Edward Elsen

What is sculpture's primordial nature, its essence, and how should it be redefined? Should sculpture serve society? Why not objects, rather than the human figure, as sculpture's subject? How and what do we see? Why the pedestal? What determines proportion? How can sculpture be meaningfully united with the real world of objects? These were only a few of the questions being asked after 1905—questions that led to the revolutionary premises of modern sculpture. In this work, Elsen explores the radical changes that transformed sculpture between roughly 1890 and 1918, signaling the emergence of modern sculpture. He demonstrates how Rodin and his younger venturesome contemporaries changed the look and focus of sculpture, thereby initiating its continual process of redefinition. The result is a fascinating and thought-provoking book. 168 black-and-white illustrations.

179 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1974