Illusion de surface : percevoir la « peau » d’une sculpture
In the eighteenth century, sculptors such as Antonio Canova often experimented with polychromy, using wax or grind water to subtly tint their figures’ flesh. In this article, I examine viewers’ discomfort with these surface treatments. I argue that viewers reacted negatively to the colored surface o...
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2017-01-01
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doaj-68a67a97f8804449964186dde9b7ed2f2020-11-24T20:52:18ZfraCentre d´Histoire et Théorie des ArtsImages Re-Vues1778-38012017-01-0113Illusion de surface : percevoir la « peau » d’une sculptureChristina FerandoIn the eighteenth century, sculptors such as Antonio Canova often experimented with polychromy, using wax or grind water to subtly tint their figures’ flesh. In this article, I examine viewers’ discomfort with these surface treatments. I argue that viewers reacted negatively to the colored surface of works such as Hebe and Penitent Magdalene because they found it to be deceptive. First, encaustic treatments mellowed the marble surface, giving modern works the appearance of antiquities. Second, the “reality effect” created by color threatened sculpture’s status as high art. Finally, hyper-realism also suggested that the sculpture’s surface was exactly that—that is to say, only a surface, a shell that contained the messy reality of the body. The polychrome surface therefore oscillated between ancient and modern, flesh and stone, penetrable and impenetrable and raised larger aesthetic, philosophical and scientific issues.http://journals.openedition.org/imagesrevues/3902Antonio Canovaeighteenth-century sculpturepolychromysurfaceillusionismdeception |
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DOAJ |
language |
fra |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Christina Ferando |
spellingShingle |
Christina Ferando Illusion de surface : percevoir la « peau » d’une sculpture Images Re-Vues Antonio Canova eighteenth-century sculpture polychromy surface illusionism deception |
author_facet |
Christina Ferando |
author_sort |
Christina Ferando |
title |
Illusion de surface : percevoir la « peau » d’une sculpture |
title_short |
Illusion de surface : percevoir la « peau » d’une sculpture |
title_full |
Illusion de surface : percevoir la « peau » d’une sculpture |
title_fullStr |
Illusion de surface : percevoir la « peau » d’une sculpture |
title_full_unstemmed |
Illusion de surface : percevoir la « peau » d’une sculpture |
title_sort |
illusion de surface : percevoir la « peau » d’une sculpture |
publisher |
Centre d´Histoire et Théorie des Arts |
series |
Images Re-Vues |
issn |
1778-3801 |
publishDate |
2017-01-01 |
description |
In the eighteenth century, sculptors such as Antonio Canova often experimented with polychromy, using wax or grind water to subtly tint their figures’ flesh. In this article, I examine viewers’ discomfort with these surface treatments. I argue that viewers reacted negatively to the colored surface of works such as Hebe and Penitent Magdalene because they found it to be deceptive. First, encaustic treatments mellowed the marble surface, giving modern works the appearance of antiquities. Second, the “reality effect” created by color threatened sculpture’s status as high art. Finally, hyper-realism also suggested that the sculpture’s surface was exactly that—that is to say, only a surface, a shell that contained the messy reality of the body. The polychrome surface therefore oscillated between ancient and modern, flesh and stone, penetrable and impenetrable and raised larger aesthetic, philosophical and scientific issues. |
topic |
Antonio Canova eighteenth-century sculpture polychromy surface illusionism deception |
url |
http://journals.openedition.org/imagesrevues/3902 |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT christinaferando illusiondesurfacepercevoirlapeaudunesculpture |
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1716800073051930624 |