Constantin Brancusi

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Constantin Brancusi

• Gabi Kirk
• Period 6

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Biography

• Constantin Brancusi was born February 19, 1876,
  in Hobitza, Romania.
• He studied art at the Scoala de Meserli in
  Craiova (School of Arts and Crafts), and at the
  Scoala Natzionala de Arte Frumoase (National
  School of Fine Arts) in Bucharest.
• Brancusi moved to Paris in 1904 and studied at
  the École des Beaux-Arts. He befriended
  influential artists including Henri Matisse,
  Marcel Duchamp, and Henri Rousseau.
• He studied under Rodin but did not stay to become
  Rodins assistant. He said, In the shadow of a
  big tree, another tree cannot grow.
• In 1927, a historic trial was held in the United
  States regarding Brancusis sculpture Bird in
  Space.
• Brancusi traveled throughout Europe, Egypt, and
  India in the 1930s.
• He moved back to Paris in 1935.
• He died in Paris on March 16, 1957.

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The Bird in Space Trial

• Brancusi imported a sculpture, titled Bird in
  Space, for a show in New York. The piece was pure
  bronze.
• Since the sculpture was simply a piece of bronze,
  the United States put a 40 import tax on it, as
  they would any piece of imported metal. Art was
  considered duty-free, but customs did not
  recognize the sculpture as art.
• Brancusi sued and in 1928 the court ruled the
  sculpture was art.

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February 19, 1876 Born in Romania.
1907 Works in Rodins studio
1928 Bird in Space Trial
1904 Moves to Paris.
March 16, 1957 Died in Paris, France.
1913 First international show of Brancusis work
at the Armory Show in New York.
1914-1918 World War I
1898-1901 Studies in Bucharest
1908 The Kiss
1935 War memorial in Turgu Jiu, Romania
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• The people who call my work 'abstract' are
  imbeciles what they call 'abstract' is in fact
  the purest realism, the reality of which is not
  represented by external form but by the idea
  behind it, the essence of the work.

The Newborn, 1915
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• Create like a god, command like a king, work
  like a slave.

Golden Bird, 1919
Bird in Space, 1923
"All of my life I have sought the essence of
flight. Flight! What bliss!
The Prayer, 1907
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"All I am striving to do is to shift the
boundaries of art deeper into the unknown.
The First Cry, 1917
Mademoiselle Pagony II, 1920-25
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Materials

• Brancusis sculptures use simple, smooth
  materials

Bronze
Marble
Limestone
Torso of a Young Man
Prometheus
Wisdom of the Earth
Portrait of Nancy Cunard
Wood
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Bronze Casting Lost-Wax Technique

• First, a wax or clay sculpture is created.

A plaster mold is shaped around the wax.
The wax is melted, leaving behind a plaster mold.
The molten bronze is then poured into the mold.
The bronze is left to cool and the mold is
removed.
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Brancusis Use of Elements of Design
SHAPE
Brancusi used simple geometric shapes to create
his abstract sculptures.
Torso of a Young Man is made up of three
cylinders.
The Newborn is a simple elongated sphere.
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TEXTURE
Brancusi purposely polished his marble and bronze
sculptures to create a uniform, smooth texture.
Prometheus, Marble
Mademoiselle Pagony, bronze
He purposely left his wood sculptures rough,
giving them an unfinished look.
Madame L.R., 1914-18
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SPACE
VALUE
Brancusi used cutouts and carving in Regele
regilor to create an industrial corkscrew
appearance.
The shadows created by the carving and cutouts
conveys depth, and the light areas on the smooth
sides contrast the shadows of the curves and
carving.
Regele regilor, 1920
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Brancusi usually left his sculptures their
original colors, but polished the surfaces to a
shine.
COLOR
His bronze sculptures reflect the colors of the
objects around them.
Muse
Blond Negresse
Mme Pagony
Occasionally he painted the bronze in earth tones
of yellow, brown, or black.
The Prayer
Sleeping Muse
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Works Cited

• http//www.artsjournal.com/artopia/images/Sleeping
  muse.jpg
• http//windshoes.new21.org/hall-brancusi.htm
• http//www.guggenheimcollection.org/site/artist_bi
  o_22.html
• http//www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/i
  s_20031109/ai_n12749776
• http//www.creativity-portal.com/howto/artscrafts/
  features/2003/seuratbrancusi2.html
• http//www.artfacts.net/index.php/pageType/artistI
  nfo/artist/2586
• http//www.noguchi.org/brancusi.html
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantin_Brancusi
• http//www.dntis.ro/romania/mr/romanian_images/scu
  lptors/brancusi/
• http//www.ici.ro/romania/en/cultura/p_brancusi.ht
  ml
• http//www.show.ro/brancusi/pag-1.htm
• http//www.kellysgalleryatjoseph.com/bronze/bronze
  _sculpture_tour/bronze_casting_tour.html