For

Senior Years Students

Curriculum

VCE Studio Arts

Aim

To understand the conservation requirements of different materials.

Preparation

To do this activity you will need to:

• View the work either online or in the exhibition.
• Research through the library or Internet.

Individual Task

Bronze has been a popular and enduring media selected by artists and artisans from antiquities to the present day and in many continents including Europe and Asia.

Investigate the process most commonly used to produce a bronze sculpture.

Research Questions

Explore the changes in the manufacture and production of a bronze vessel or artwork with two examples. You may consider looking at Asian Art and Antiquities or consider the work of the Fifteenth Century Italian artist Donatello.

Investigate the impact of light, humidity and temperature on the preservation of bronze.

Group Discussion

What inherent characteristics of bronze make this a suitable material for sculptors?
What are some of the disadvantages of choosing to use bronze?