There are two main types of plastic art: round sculpture and relief. Their capabilities and features are very different. The round sculpture “lives” in free space; it can be walked around and viewed from all sides. Relief (from the Italian rilievo – “protrusion, convexity, rise”) is similar to a three-dimensional pattern made in clay or stone. On a flat surface of stone, wood or other material, the sculptor sculpts, carves or carves images of figures and objects, often creating complex plot compositions. In this case, the image remains connected to the background, protrudes from it convexly or very slightly, remaining flat.
I. Dvorkina
RELIEF(French relief, from Latin relevare – to lift) – one of the types of sculpture. Unlike a round sculpture, which can be walked around from all sides, the relief is located on a plane and is designed mainly for frontal perception. A relief can have an independent easel significance and be part of an architectural or sculptural work. The relief can protrude above the background plane and go deeper into it.
Types of relief
Depending on how three-dimensional the figures are depicted and how connected they are to the background, three types of relief are distinguished: bas-relief, high relief and counter-relief.
Giacomo Manzu. "The Death of Abel" Gates of Death
Bas-relief called a low, fairly flat relief in which the figures deviate from the background plane by less than half. As a rule, the bas-relief acts as a component of an architectural structure and plays a decorative and narrative role in it.
The appearance of bas-relief preceded round sculpture. Iconic images of bears and bison carved into rock surfaces can be found in the caves of prehistoric people who lived during the Ice Age. All religious buildings of deep antiquity that have come down to us are decorated with ornamental relief motifs. The majestic temples of the pharaonic era are entirely covered with relief images, which, like the pages of a book designed to last for eternity, tell the story of the origin and deeds of the Egyptian gods.
Bas-relief is used on coins and medals.
Fragment of the Parthenon frieze. Marble. 5th century BC IN high relief Unlike a bas-relief, a sculptural image recedes significantly from the background or appears in almost full volume. In high relief the figures seem very convex, almost round. Sometimes they look like statues placed against a flat background. High relief is especially sensitive to lighting. In bright, especially lateral, light, three-dimensional figures cast strong shadows, which seem to “fight” the light, indicating all the curves of the plastic form, emphasizing small details.
Deep relief ( counter-relief) less common than convex relief. An image of this type does not protrude above the background, but, on the contrary, goes deeper. Most of all, such a relief resembles a strict drawing: the contours of the image seem to be carved by a sculptor on the surface of the stone. Figures and objects remain flat. This type of relief is often
found in the art of the ancient Egyptians. The mighty columns of ancient Egyptian temples are covered from top to bottom with such a sculptural “pattern.”
Relief capabilities.
A sculptor working in relief has more room for imagination than a master creating a round sculpture. After all, in relief you can depict almost everything that is accessible to painting and graphics: mountains, rivers, trees, clouds in the sky, houses... It is in relief that multi-figure plot compositions have been created at all times. Relief as a type of sculpture was often associated with an architectural structure. Magnificent reliefs decorated the temples of Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece, the triumphal arches of Rome, medieval cathedrals and palace buildings of modern times...
Scenic relief.
Cameo Gonzaga A relief that resembles a painting in its features is called picturesque. In pictorial relief, distant objects are depicted as small and flatter, while those that are closer, on the contrary, are sculpted to almost full volume. It turns out that the sculptor applies the same laws of linear perspective as the painter. In a picturesque relief, the background ceases to be smooth (as in bas-relief and high relief) and turns into a semblance of a landscape with trees, clouds, mountains, or reproduces the interior of the room where the action takes place. The creator of this type of relief is considered to be the brilliant Italian sculptor of the 15th century. Donatello.
A remarkable example of a picturesque relief is the “Gates of Heaven” of the baptistery (baptistery), built in Florence. The sculptor placed compositions on biblical themes on the door wings. In this relief, one admires the subtlety of the transition of spatial plans - from an almost round sculpture to a fine engraving of the background.
"Divine Game of Shadows"
Any sculpture is sensitive to light. We can say that it comes to life only under the influence of light. It will look different in top and side light, in cloudy weather or, conversely, in bright sun. Sculptors must take this into account in their work. In museum halls where sculpture is exhibited, there must be carefully thought-out lighting, otherwise viewers will not understand or appreciate all the plastic merits of the work of art. “Shadows, divine play of shadows on antique marbles! We can say that shadows are partial to masterpieces. Shadows cling to them and endow them with decoration,” wrote the famous French sculptor Auguste Rodin. The truth of Rodin’s words can be seen by looking at a fragment of the Parthenon frieze - one of the few fragments of the magnificent sculptural decoration of the main temple of ancient Athens that has reached us. The marble reliefs seemed to come to life under the rays of the Greek sun. The shadows cast by the figures of the men and lying in the folds of the girls’ clothes created a sense of movement and gave the illusion of full volume to the relief images protruding from the background.
Birth of Aphrodite. relief. Marble. Sicily.460 BC Gems.
Since ancient times, jeweler carvers have carved reliefs on precious and semi-precious stones, making jewelry and seals. Such images are called gems (from the Latin gemma - “precious stone”). A recessed image, cut deep into a solid mineral, is called an intaglio, and a convex image, protruding above the surface of the stone, is called a cameo... Often gems were made from multi-layered stones, and the master had the opportunity, when processing the stone, to make the background one color, and the main image another.
Natalya Sokolnikova.
The word relief comes from the Latin verb relevo, which means “to raise.” Creating a sculpture in the form of a relief on a monument creates the impression that the image is raised above the surface of the stone.
In fact, a stone or wood carver selects certain parts of the plane, leaving the future relief untouched. This work requires considerable skill, a lot of time and excellent use of a cutter. If we consider these as disadvantages, then the advantages of the artistic relief technique include:
- no need to form the backdrop of the sculpture;
- increased strength of the sculpture, especially in comparison with figures carved from stone.
When using materials such as metal, clay, plaster or ceramics, relief can be added or extruded from the plane, and monumental bronze bas-reliefs are produced by casting.
Depending on the height of the relief image, its types are distinguished using Italian or French terminology:
- high relief (Italian alto-rilievo - high relief) - a sculptural image that protrudes above the plane by more than 50%, and often has elements partially separated from the plane;
- bas-relief (Italian basso-rilievo - low relief) - the sculptural image protrudes above the surface of the stone by no more than half
- koylanaglyph (French en creux) - the relief has a deep contour and a convex sculptural image
- counter-relief (Italian cavo-rilievo) - negative relief or in-depth relief
In modern monumental sculpture, the techniques most often used are high relief and bas-relief and their variations. However, this does not mean at all that other types of relief sculpture have no place left in modern art. Let's look at them in more detail.
Bas-relief or low relief
The simplest example of using this technique is ordinary coins. It is quite obvious that the images on them have a minimum relative height, practically indistinguishable when viewed from the side. If you place the coin in your palm and look at it from the front, the three-dimensional effect will be maximum.
The very idea of making a bas-relief implies ease of cutting, low manufacturability and low cost of production, which is why it became most widespread in most world cultures, starting with Ancient Egypt, the countries of the Middle East and the civilizations of Central and North America. In addition, bas-reliefs were often painted over with paints of various shades in order to “raise” the image as much as possible. The ancient bas-reliefs have survived to this day mainly in an unpainted form - time does not spare paint much faster than the statue itself. However, chemical analysis allows us to confidently assert that most of the bas-reliefs were painted.
Historians also know more exotic types of bas-reliefs, for example, the Ishtar Gate from ancient Babylon. The animal sculptures on them are created using molded bricks. Egyptian and Roman bas-reliefs were made using plaster, and, as a result, most of these bas-reliefs have practically not survived to this day.
In European culture, the most famous bas-reliefs were made of wood and were used as elements of church altars.
Bas-reliefs of a Buddhist temple, Eastern India
But bas-reliefs are most often found in the technique of making Buddhist monuments in India and Southeast Asia. The temples in the Ajanta and Ellora caves contain colossal images of gods, carved from single pieces of stone. Borodulur Temple in Central Java (Indonesia) contains almost one and a half thousand bas-reliefs telling about the birth of Buddha. On the same island is the Prambanan Temple, with bas-reliefs illustrating the plot of the Hindu poem Ramayana.
High relief
Relief sculptures, in which at least half of the volume is above the plane, first appeared most noticeably in the art of Ancient Greece. These were often almost independent sculptures, separated from the surface of the stone and intersecting with each other to create a complete effect of depth.
High reliefs of Greek and Roman sarcophagi were made by drilling, without chisels. Their compositions were maximally saturated with figures and characters - for example, the Sarcophagus of Ludovisi. The Middle Ages marked the full spread of high relief techniques, especially among the Greeks. During the Renaissance, high reliefs were given a second life. Their use was especially noticeable in funerary art, and later in neoclassical pediments and urban monuments.
In Hindu monumental sculpture, high reliefs coexisted with bas-reliefs, not much inferior to them in popularity. The group of temples at Khajuraho is the most obvious example of the use of high relief techniques by Indian sculptors.
Counter-relief and koylanaglyph
These types of relief have not received global distribution in funerary art. Some civilizations, for example, Ancient Egypt, used in-depth relief quite widely, but outside this state this type of sculpture did not receive significant distribution.
Various types of reliefs are often used in the manufacture of grave monuments and as overlay elements for them, as well as in the creation of ritual and memorial tablets, including for a columbar wall or family columbarium. Less labor-intensive and, accordingly, more affordable, bas-relief is ideally suited for decorating a tombstone or granite slab. This technique is perfectly used both for creating dynamic life-size sculptures and for small, “bust” formats.
You can find a company that produces tombstones in your area in the Making of monuments section of our ritual directory
Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron
High relief
See Sculpting.
Efremova's Dictionary
High relief
m.
A type of relief sculpture in which the convex part of the image protrudes above
the background plane by more than half its volume.
Geomorphological dictionary-reference book
High relief
HIGH RELIEF
(French haut - relief) - high relief in which the image protrudes above the background plane by more than half of its volume.
encyclopedic Dictionary
High relief
(French haut-relief), high relief in which the image protrudes above the background plane by more than half of its volume. Monumental and decorative high reliefs were often used in architecture.
Ozhegov's Dictionary
GOREL E F, A, m.(specialist.). A sculptural image on a plane, in which the figures protrude by more than half of their volume.
| adj. high relief, oh, oh.
Ushakov's Dictionary
High relief
burner f, high relief, husband. (French haut-relief, letters high relief) ( lawsuit). Sculptural images in which figures associated with a flat background protrude significantly from it ( avg. ).
Architectural Dictionary
High relief
(French haut-relief, from haut - high and relief - relief, bulge)
type of sculpture, high relief, in which the convex image protrudes strongly above the background plane (by more than half of its volume); sometimes it only touches the background, sometimes it is separated from it in detail. Monumental and decorative high reliefs were often used in architecture.
a sculptural decoration protruding from the wall by more than half its volume.
(Architecture: An Illustrated Guide, 2005)
A sculptural work with a background from which the depicted figures protrude by more than half their volume.
(Terms of Russian architectural heritage. Pluzhnikov V.I., 1995)
a sculptural image protruding above the background plane by more than half of its volume. The interiors of St. Isaac's Cathedral are decorated with hundreds of sculptures. Particularly interesting are the huge internal doors of the cathedral, on which sculptures are made in high relief technique (sk. I. P. Vitali), and in particular, one of the scenes is “The Battle of Alexander Nevsky with the Swedes.” Vitali's best works include the high relief "Adoration of the Magi" in the pediment of the southern portico of the cathedral. In the center of the relief, Mary sits on a high throne with the baby Christ in her arms.
(Dictionary of architectural terms. Yusupov E.S., 1994)
(French haut-relief, from haut - high and relief - relief, convex) type of sculpture, high relief, in which the convex image protrudes strongly above the background plane (by more than half of its volume); sometimes it only touches the background, sometimes it is separated from it in detail. Monumental and decorative high reliefs were often used in architecture. * * * sculptural decoration protruding from the wall by more than half of its volume. (Architecture: an illustrated reference book, 2005) * * * A sculptural work with a background from which the depicted figures protrude by more than half their volume. (Terms of Russian architectural heritage. Pluzhnikov V.I., 1995) * * * a sculptural image protruding above the background plane by more than half of its volume. The interiors of St. Isaac's Cathedral are decorated with hundreds of sculptures. Particularly interesting are the huge internal doors of the cathedral, on which sculptures are made in high relief technique (sk. I. P. Vitali), and in particular, one of the scenes is “The Battle of Alexander Nevsky with the Swedes.” Vitali's best works include the high relief "Adoration of the Magi" in the pediment of the southern portico of the cathedral. In the center of the relief, Mary sits on a high throne with the baby Christ in her arms. (Dictionary of architectural terms. Yusupov E.S., 1994)
View value High relief in other dictionaries
High relief- M. French a sculpture on a plane, on a board, higher, thicker than a bas-relief; sculpture or carving in full flesh, in full flesh, in full flesh, etc. Statue, round sculpture; high relief, thick sculpture.
Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary
High relief- high relief, m. (French haut-relief, lit. high relief) (art.). Sculptural images, in which figures associated with a flat background protrude significantly from it (cf. bas-relief).
Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary
High relief M.— 1. A type of relief sculpture in which the convex part of the image protrudes above the background plane by more than half of its volume.
Explanatory Dictionary by Efremova
High relief- -A; m. [French] haut-relief] A sculptural image on a flat surface, in which the figures protrude above the plane by more than half their volume.
◁ High relief,........
Kuznetsov's Explanatory Dictionary
High relief- (French haut-relief) - high relief in which the image protrudes above the background plane by more than half of its volume. Monumental and decorative high reliefs are often......
Large encyclopedic dictionary
In plastic art, any convex sculpture adjacent to a specific background surface is called a relief. The relief combines the features of a flat and three-dimensional statue. Thus, the relief is a space-expanding composition, and, being created on a flat surface, has a high degree of similarity to ordinary sculptures.
Bas-reliefs are used for a number of reasons:
- Relief sculpture can express a wider range of ideas and compositions. For example, creating a large-scale battle scene would require a huge amount of space and materials, while relief will help depict the composition while maintaining scale and resources.
- When creating a bas-relief on a flat surface, there are no problems organizing the balance of the work, unlike statues, where the weight and balance of the figures play an important role.
- The specificity of such sculptures makes them ideal for architectural projects. Reliefs, being placed on walls, portals, ceilings and arches, perform decorative and plot functions.
In addition, there are other types of threads that combine, to one degree or another, well-known technologies and approaches. For example, the “flattened relief”, whose authorship is attributed to Donatello, is only a subtype of bas-relief, with the exception that the composition stands out to a lesser extent above the background surface.
Relief with a wild boar. Göbekli Tepe.
The Italian Renaissance is characterized by a noticeable rise in the implementation of reliefs. They make full use of the means to create a complex perspective, working out the textural contrasts of the surface, visually changing the space. In the period 1530-1570, fantastic reliefs and stucco were created by French mannerists. Baroque relief sculpture continues the ideas of the Renaissance, and also increases the scale of the work. Some relief compositions become almost indistinguishable from marble statues (Bernini is an excellent example of this approach). Among the neoclassical sculptors who created reliefs, it is worth highlighting Antonio Canova and Bertel Thorvaldsen, who created works with classical rigor and purity.
Relief in sculpture updated: April 24, 2017 by: Gleb
