Event Blog 4 EXTRA CREDIT

I recently went to the the Ferocious Bronze; The Animal Sculptures of Arthur Putnam. These sculptures all revealed Putnam's fine-tuned mathematic approach to make beautiful sculptures of his favorite animals. For this reason, I think sculpture is my favorite C.P. Snow art form that employs scientific approach- an ultimate Two Cultures amalgam.


Putnam began his career sketching out the skeletal structures of animals and plants, then formed them out of clay, and finally and most famously began sculpting them out of bronze. Sculptors need to think in 3-D, and Putnam was no exception. Without some appreciation for anatomy and geometry, Putnam could never sculpt realistically.
 

I enjoyed reading about the intensely technical process of sculpting, while also appreciating the brilliant artistry of Putnam. It was amazing to see a material so hard become so malleable and lifelike.  One sculpture in particular caught my eye more than most. From a single piece of bronze, Putnam sculpted two lions walking around each other in a circle. The sculpture was unassuming and elegant but I knew how many man hours it must have taken to produce. That is the amazing part about art- if the artist does his job the effort will be hidden behind awe. The exhibit is an excellent example of what can be accomplished if you effectively use both sides of your brain.

Works Cited

Snow, C. P. The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution. New York: Cambridge UP, 1959. Print.

Vesna, Victoria. “Toward a Third Culture: Being in Between.” Leonardo 34.2 (2001): 121-25. Web.