The History and Evolution of Sculpting

My favorite thing to do while exploring new cities is find different sculptures or statues adorning the sidewalks for the public to enjoy. Looking at these creative pieces of art, I always think to myself, who came up with the brilliant idea to sculpt large pieces of rock into beautiful pieces of rock and when?

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As it turns out, the art of sculpting dates all the way back to the prehistoric age. Actually, sculpting is the oldest art of our time. At first, sculpting had a more practical use. At the dawn of civilization, sculptures were made to provide magical powers to hunters as they went out to catch the food for their people. Soon after, sculptures evolved to have much more meaning. Studies show that early civilizations created sculptures to provide spiritual support for their religion. These sculptures were used and celebrated in rituals everyday. Men and women alike would honor, worship, and pray to these pieces of art in hopes of cleansing themselves from the evils of the world.

As time went on and society evolved, sculpting evolved with it. In the time of the ancient Greeks, statues were no longer used to represent a spirit or higher-power but instead to depict their Greek Heroes or Gods in a more intelligent manner. This was the period in which sculpting evolved from abstraction to naturalism meaning the art changed from being simple to more realistic.

It is evident that as history took its course, the art of sculpting changed with the times. Now, as we live in a more diverse and accepting society, the types of sculptures artists can design and construct are limitless and more people are appreciative of the different things they depict or represent.

After researching about the history and evolution of this art, I now understand why people are so naturally inclined to appreciate the beauty of sculpting; our ancestors believed this art to be the most closely related to God and the heavens above.