The Art of Repouss

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The Art of Repoussé
Funeral Mask of King Tutankhamen, Egyptian, 1324
BC.
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• Mask of Agamemnon

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• Repoussé or repujado in Spanish, is a
  metalworking technique in which a sheet of metal
  has a design worked into it by pushing the metal
  in and out from both sides using a variety of
  tools.
• The metal is stretched so the sheet remains
  intact with no loss of material.
• In French repoussé means
• pushed out.

• Elixir of Life by Rocio Heredia

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History of Repoussé

• Agememnons Funeral Mask Gold Mycenean Cup
• Repoussé is a very old art form dating from
  antiquity and was widely used with gold and
  silver for detailed works and copper and bronze
  for larger sculptures

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• By the year 3000 BC. semi-mass production
  techniques were introduced to avoid
• repetitive free-hand work.
• Artisans could press sheets of gold into molds
  carved in intaglio into bone, metal or stone to
  more easily form a design.
• Patterned punches were introduced as early as
  2000 BC. to texture the background and sharpen
  details and relief.
• Early materials used to fill repoussés included
  mud and resin in Egypt and beeswax in Ancient
  Greece

Gary Dadyan, a Russian artist, is tapping the
repoussé tools into the sheet of metal using a
small hammer.
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• During the Hopewell and Mississippian periods of
  the Southwest and Midwest Native Americans,
  repoussé was used to form ritual jewelry and
  decorations which were eventually used as burial
  goods.

• copper repoussé plate depicting Birdman, Late
  Braden Style

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• The best known example of repoussé is the Statue
  of Liberty by Frederic Auguste Barthodi

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Repoussé continues to be used to make decorative
plaques and is a popular technique of making
jewelry.
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Student Examples
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• http//www.artsonia.com/museum/gallery.asp?exhibit
  494850
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vB7vXNLpVafM

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YOUR ASSIGNMENT

• Using the internet and books in room, choose a
  historical motif for your repousse
• The entire surface has to be used. No empty
  space
• Graded on
• Craftsmanship (no tears, 3 levels
• Composition use of entire surface
• Complexity (detail and 3 height levels
• Creativity