Jason Arkles is an American sculptor based in Florence, Italy. He has his own teaching studio in Florence and is the creator and host of the popular podcast on figurative sculpture, The Sculptor’s Funeral.

Focusing heavily on the connection between materials and effect, Arkles expertly guides us through many examples of portraiture and the different qualities that can be achieved in marble, clay, plaster, and bronze. We are also taken through some of the most common methods sculptors have used throughout history in order to attempt to overcome the natural limitations of their materials so as to infuse the life of their sitters into their work. Hollowed out irises, painted surfaces, the adding of glints to resemble the sparkle of eyes, and the creation of a speaking likeness through parted lips are all tools in the arsenal of a sculptor that shorten the gap between their sculpture and the living subject they are attempting to represent.

The lecture begins with a look at classical sculptures and how they were possibly painted in polychromy, a practice that was carried on to the beginning of the renaissance throughout the Middle Ages and the Gothic period. Arkles explains that as the Renaissance period developed, artists returned to emulating Classical Greek and Roman sculptures which were becoming unearthed mostly free of any pigmentation potentially due to the passage of time, exposure, and cleaning. It is within this period that a shift to a mostly monochromatic approach to sculpture took place. We are lead through artwork that exemplifies this shift, including works by Desiderio da Settignano, and Michelangelo (Michelangelo Buonarroti). Although Michelangelo famously did not create portraits that resembled those he was representing, through a sacrifice of fidelity to form, the final effect of Michelangelo’s works did create the impression of life. This sacrifice of loyalty to physical reality for the visual impression of the sculpture along with other sculptural “tricks” is a common theme throughout the lecture. While being guided through works by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Jean-Antoine Houdon, Vincenzo Gemito, Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, David d’Angers, and Auguste Rodin, we explore trends, historical context, process, experimentation, materials, and the visual impression of the artists’ sculptures. Although spanning an incredible period of time, from Classical antiquity to the 20th century, Jason’s lecture is detailed and cohesive. We hope you thoroughly enjoy this deep dive into the world of portraiture in sculpture and how artists are able to create such an impression of life with materials so devoid of it.