Wood Sculptures

Woodcarving is made by progressively removing material from a larger piece of timber. A very old technique, it is recognized by the Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage in France. KAZoART has curated for you the artists who continue to work this ancestral natural material, and add their own personal touch to each wooden sculpture.

Wood Sculpture in Art

In Art History, there are two types of sculpture: in the round round and ornamental. In France, ornamental woodcarving reached its peak in the 17th and 18th centuries for furniture decoration (e.g. Jean Siméon Rousseau).

More generally, sculpture in the round (in three dimensions) is used in the primitive arts (also more commonly known as Tribal Arts) created by the so-called "primitive" civilizations (African, Native American, pre-Columbian, etc.). When Tribal Art pieces were (re)discovered by avant-garde artists, wood was brought back to the forefront and was used much more by the latter to create numerous sculptures. 

Thus, Constantin Brancusi (Socle du nouveau né), Auguste Herbin, Ossip Zadkine (Homo sapiens), Robert Delaunay (Entrée du Hall), Jean Arp (Constellation), freely inspired by creations from the Tribal arts, created original wooden sculptures (painted or not) and wooden sculptures of animals.

Wood Sculpture: techniques, tools, maintenance

Making wood sculpture art requires an artist to go through various different steps: the tracing, the routing, the cutting, the grooving, creating the rough cut and then eventually finishing the piece. In order to carry out these different steps, the sculptor can use many tools (compass, marking gauge, mallet, saw, gouges, etc.).

Depending on the type of contemporary wood sculpture, the sculptor may have to use an assembly so that all the pieces fit together. Note that wood is a fragile material, which gradually degrades over time (sensitive to changes in temperature and climate ...), it must be treated and maintained by the sculptors who must regularly use varnish, wax or oil.