What are the problems of painting small-scale nude sculptures?
How do they differ from pictures? Pictures are seen from one view and one angle. Sculpture can be viewed from many angles. Why can’t we just paint the figure a single flesh tone all over? For two reasons: firstly flesh tone tends to wash out detail; secondly this would rely on existing light sources to bring out the light and shade. Although this is what happens in reality, a sculpture is not a real person. It has to be made to look like a real person. Light sources vary and are unreliable. An artist has to make his own lighting effects. In paintings the light source often comes from one side of the picture, allowing the forms of the objects depicted to be modelled in light and shade. In sculpture we have to do something of the same. Light source. The aim is to make the figure independent of the existing light. But the important thing is that it should “model” the figure, emphasising the hollows and the high places. Our imaginary light source will come from above, because light natural
