Bronze Sculptures

Nowadays, when I hear the word bronze, I immediately think of getting my spray tan in a bottle so I can be fashionably sunkissed, despite my English and Irish heritage. I am ashamed to say I've been brainwashed. However, there is a much more expressive way to bronze without falling prey to the tanning pressures of society.

It is the creation of bronze sculptures, which have been around since...well, since before looking like a bronze sculpture was in fashion.

While the use of bronze dates back to old world civilizations, it was the Greeks that were the first artists to make their bronze sculptures lifesize in scale. Since then, bronze has become the most popular metal used in cast metal sculptures, or sculptures made from a mold. Bronze is an ideal metal to use in bronze sculptures because it is a very strong and durable material. Also, bronze expands slightly before it sets, making it ideal for the fine details of many bronze sculptures. Unfortunately, many ancient bronze sculptures were unable to be preserved due to its value. Large-scale bronze sculptures were melted down during wartime to make weapons or to be re-made to commemorate war heroes.

To manufacture bronze sculptures requires skilled work. First a full-sized model must be made, often from wax. A mold is then cast around the wax model and heated in a kiln until the wax runs out. This mold can then be filled with a molten bronze to make the bronze sculptures. This is a very time-consuming process, and if the casting process fails, all the artist's work will be lost.

One artist who employs bronze for his sculptures is Italian-born British sculptor Enzo Plazzotta. He is known for his study of movement in bronze. His bronze sculptures of the human form, animals, and ballerinas are displayed in London. One such sculpture is entitled Homage to Leonardo , which is a bronze recreation of Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man . Another, Young Dancer , is of a ballerina sitting on a stool. Due to its touristy location opposite the Royal Opera House, it is possibly the most famous of his bronze sculptures. Plazzotta's bronze sculptures are both delicate and capture the motion of his subjects.

Arturo Di Modica is an artist in New York City who created one of the largest bronze sculptures. Seven thousand pounds, to be exact. Entitled Charging Bull , Di Modica's sculpture is of a bull sitting back on his haunches, ready to attack. It was originally installed in front of the New York Stock Exchange without permission in 1989. Di Modica called it his Christmas gift to the people of New York City. The police seized the bronze sculpture, but after an uproar from the people of New York, it was moved a few blocks away to the plaza at Bowling Green. It has become known as the unofficial symbol of the Financial District, representing aggressive financial prosperity.

Though a time-consuming process, bronze sculptures stand the test of time. In fact, many public scuptures you will encounter in your life have been cast from bronze. So while the artists take the time to create them, you can sit back on the lawn and appreciate their beauty and detail. Maybe while getting a nice tan.