The Sculptor's Funeral is the only podcast dedicated to figurative sculptors living and working today. Art history, tech talk, news, and interviews for the figurative sculptor working in the Western European tradition of figurative sculpture, along with a social media forum and listener mail/questions/comments make this podcast required listening for any sculptor who knows the Fine Arts aren't dead, they just smell a little funny.
Episode 47.5 - From Apprentice to Academy Redux

Happy Holidays! - Enjoy this repeat episode which details the rise of academic institutions in the training of artists.

Direct download: Episode_47.5_-_From_Apprentice_to_Academy_redux.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 47 -v Verrocchio

The greatest sculptor in Florence between the time of Donatello and the rise of Michelangelo, Andrea del Verrocchio explored figurative composition like no sculptor before him - but his greatest contribution to art might be in the painters he taught  - from Ghirlandaio and Signorelli, to Leonadro da Vinci himself.

Direct download: Episode_47_-_Verrocchio.mp3
Category:renaissance -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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In a career cut short by an early death, Desiderio Da Settignano nevertheless managed to rival Donatello in relief work, and re-invent the genre of child portraiture in sculpture, bringing the Age of Ugly Renaissance Babies to a thankful end.

Direct download: Episode_46_-_Desiderio_Da_Settignano.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 45 - From Terra Cruda to Terracotta

"I tried to fire my sculpture once, and it blew up in the kiln."  -And thus endeth the exploration of terracotta sculpture for many a clay modeller. But it doesn't have to be that way! In this Shop Talk episode, Jason discusses tips and tricks, principles and practices of modelling figurative work for firing into terracotta.

Direct download: Episode_45_-_from_terra_cruda_to_terracotta.mp3
Category:Shop talk -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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New kid on the Florentine block Luca Della Robbia didn't have to reinvent the wheel in sculpture, like the sculptors of the generation before him had to; instead, he started with those new wheels and invented the bicycle. Learning lessons from not just sculptors, but from painters and even potters, Luca developed a style, and a genre, all his own. And he did it with Dolcezza.

Direct download: Episode_44_-_Luca_Della_Robbia.mp3
Category:renaissance -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 43 - Donatello among the Medici

Cosimo de' Medici - Cosimo Pater Patriae, Father of the Country -was one of the wealthiest, most powerful and most intelligent men in Europe, and had a cantankerous, stick-in-the-mud sculptor as a best friend. This episode explores what made the Medici the Medici, and how a collaboration between secular power and the Renaissance Avant-Garde led to Donatello's striking and controversial David.

Direct download: Episode_43_-_Donatello_among_the_Medici.mp3
Category:renaissance -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 42 - TRAC 2015

The Representational Art Conference was the largest event of the year for the world of figurative art. Host Jason Arkles speaks with Michael Pearce, Alicia Ponzio, and Poppy Field, all participants in this year's TRAC in different ways.

Direct download: Episode_42_-_TRAC_2015.mp3
Category:News and Notes -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 41 - Orsanmichele

Orsanmichele is the unique name of a unique church in Florence, a site many consider to be the most significant in Florence for early Renaissance sculpture. In this episode, we explore the changes in sculpture that took place when sculptors began working not for the glory of God, but for the glory of Guild...

Direct download: Episode_41_-_Orsanmichele.mp3
Category:renaissance -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 40 - Heidi Wastweet

The Sculptor's Funeral interviews medallic artist Heidi Wastweet, a sculptor who has devoted her career to the art of relief sculpture, coins, and medals. Wastweet offers us all a fascinating glimpse into a branch of the sculpture arts that few of us explore.

Direct download: episode_40_-_Heidi_Wastweet.mp3
Category:interview -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 39.5- Donatello Redux

Donatello - the greatest sculptor of the the really Florentine Renaissance. But why? And how is it that so few of us today know anything about him? The Sculptor's Funeral explores the nature of his genius to show how Donatello practically invented the aesthetic of early renaissance sculpture.

Direct download: Episode_39.5_-_Donatello_Redux.mp3
Category:renaissance -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 39 - Lorenzo Ghiberti and the Gates of Paradise

"They are so beautiful that they would do well for the gates of Paradise." That's a pretty high compliment, just for a set of decorative bronze doors - but when we find that the doors took 27 years to make, and the compliment is from the mouth of Michelangelo, perhaps there's something to it...

Direct download: Episode_39_-_Lorenzo_Ghiberti_and_the_Gates_of_Paradise.mp3
Category:renaissance -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 38 - The Baptistery Competition

Contests and competitions between artists have been around for as long as art has. But the most famous competition of all time was between sculptors - two giants of the early 15th Century  - and heralded the start of the Florentine Reniassance. But who won? Ghiberti or Brunelleschi? Decide for yourself who is the better sculptor...

Direct download: Episode_38_-_The_Baptistery_Competition.mp3
Category:renaissance -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 37 - Renaissance Sculpture's False Start

 

The Sculptor's Funeral Podcast Returns for the Second Season!

Episode 37 - Renaissance Sculpture's False Start: Ask an art historian for the date of sculpture's  official kick-off in the Florentine Renaissance, they might tell you 1401. Or, they might tell you 1260. Both answers are correct. How can this be? It turns out that early advances in sculptural traditions away from the Gothic idiom had a good early start - which was then abruptly killed off, by a destructive force you'd want to avoid like the Plague...

Direct download: Episode_37_-_Renaissance_Sculptures_False_Start.mp3
Category:renaissance -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 36 - Malvina Hoffman - Yesterday is Tomorrow

Malvina Hoffman straddles the line between old and new sculptural traditions - She studied under Rodin and became a champion of Modernism, but is most remembered for her naturalistic portraiture which documented native peoples from all over the planet. In this Season Finale of the Sculptor's Funeral, Jason explores Hoffman's magnificent and problematic Magnum Opus, the Hall of the Races of Mankind.

Direct download: Episode_36_-Malvina_Hoffman_-_yesterday_is_tomorrow.mp3
Category:20th Century -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 35 - Sargeant Jagger

In this episode, we trace the short career of Sargeant Jagger - British figurative sculptor and decorated World War One Veteran - the artist who brought Realism to the genre of war memorials, and thereby changed the way nations remember their fallen.

Direct download: Episode_35_-_Sargeant_Jagger.mp3
Category:20th Century -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 34 - Lanteri and Toft

Edouard Lanteri and Albert Toft wrote sculpture manuals in the early years of the 20th century, preserving a great deal of what we know know about 19th Century clay modeling techniques. At first glance these two books appear fairly similar, but dig a little deeper and we find two very different approaches, which may well illuminate the differences  in methodology between older Academic and younger 'Beaux-Arts' styles.

Direct download: Episode_34_-_Lanteri_and_Toft.mp3
Category:Shop talk -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 33 - Public Monuments 2.0

What do NSA Whistleblower Edward Snowden, The stock market, and Satan's minion Baphomet have in common? Well, besides the obvious, they have all been subjects of a new form of public monument that has arisen in recent decades- one whose creators know that sometimes, it's easier to be forgiven than to get permission.

Direct download: Episode_33_-_Public_Art_2.0_.mp3
Category:News and Notes -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 32 - interview with Mark Jackson

Don't call him a military sculptor - Mark Jackson's career is more than that. But the British Army Major-turned-sculptor brings to his monumental military commissions an insight into his subject few artists can claim to possess. In fact, several of Jackson's public works are a direct reflection of his personal experience, and the various paths his life has followed so far. Jason discusses with Jackson his life and work in this interview, recorded in London in April 2015.

Direct download: Episode_32_-_Mark_Jackson_Interview.mp3
Category:interview -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 31 - Rodin Part Two: Off the Pedestal

The Burghers of Calais, and the monument to Balzac - two highly controversial monuments commissioned from August Rodin at the height of his powers. Why were they controversial? What did they mean? And how did they forever change how we create and value public art? The exploration of Rodin's work and powerful legacy continues in the second of a two part podcast.

Direct download: Episode_31_-_Rodin_Part_Two_-_Off_the_Pedestal.mp3
Category:19th Century -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 30 - Rodin Part One - The Force of Nature

The Last of the Old Masters, or the first Modern Sculptor? Yes, indeed. Auguste Rodin retains more influence over figurative sculpture today than any other sculptor in history. This first of a two-part discussion on the life and Work of Rodin wonders if figurative sculpture today is under the spell of Rodin, the way the Mannerist Era sculptors were held captive by the mighty Michelangelo.

Direct download: Episode_20_-_Rodin_Part_One_-_The_Force_of_Nature.mp3
Category:19th Century -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 29 - Charlie Langton, Equestrian Sculptor

An interview with one of the UK's leading equestrian sculptors. Langton is known for energetic portraits of thoroughbred champions, in works ranging from small trophies to monumental scale figures. We also have a conversation with sculptor Mark Jackson, who collaborated with Langton on the stunning Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces National Memorial in England.

Direct download: Episode_29_-_Charlie_Langton_Equestrian_Sculptor.mp3
Category:interview -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 28 - Alfred Gilbert

One of the greatest English sculptors in history, Alfred Gilbert isn't a household name, but he should be. A champion of the Arts and Crafts Movement whose personal style strongly inflenced the look of Art Nouveau, Gilbert's work stands out for its originality in an Age of Originals that was the late 19th century sculptural scene.

Direct download: Episode_28_-_Alfred_Gilbert.mp3
Category:19th Century -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 27.5 - Cellini Redux

Jason's on vacation this week! Enjoy this rebroadcast of the Benvenuto Cellini episode of The Sculptor's Funeral.

Direct download: Episode_27.5_-_Cellini_Redux.mp3
Category:previously aired -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 27 - The New Sculpture Movement

The Free Style. The New Sculpture. The French Manner. Call it what you want - one thing is certain, the marriage of Victorian English sensibilities and French modelling technique conspired to produce sculpture of a variety and style that England had never seen.

Direct download: Episode_27_-The_New_Sculpture_Movement.mp3
Category:19th Century -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 26 - The 19th Century Sculptural Renaissance

A new Renaissance, a Golden Age - Whatever you call it, Paris in the second half of the 19th century saw a greater number of master sculptors doing work in more unprecedented ways than the world had seen since the early Florentine Renaissance. This episode takes a look as several sculptors and highlights their individual originalities as well as their relation to each other.

Direct download: Episode_26_-_the_19th_century_sculptural_renaissance.mp3
Category:19th Century -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 25 - Carpeaux and the Second Empire

"Those who have seen it have not forgotten the magnificent tipsy laugh of the figures in the dancing group on the front of the Opera; you seem to hear it, as you pass, above the uproar of the street." Is this remark from Henry James praising Carpeaux's masterpiece The Dance, or damning it? Yes. But whether a person loved or hated the sensual rhythms of The Dance, it and its creator could not be ignored.

Direct download: Episode_25_-_Carpeaux_and_the_Second_Empire.mp3
Category:19th Century -- posted at: 3:06am EDT
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Episode 24 - Young Carpeaux

The crude and arrogant son of a mason, Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux became the exuberant sculptural voice of the Second Empire and is the greatest sculptor of the period between Canova and Rodin. Funny how 20 years of art school can change a person... This episode charts the education of Carpeaux in all its twists and turns, revealing that the greatest influence on Carpeaux's work was his own stubborn ambition.

Direct download: Episode_24_-_Young_Carpeaux.mp3
Category:19th Century -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 23 - Inside the Ecole Des Beaux-Arts

What was life like for a sculpture student of the Ecole Des Beaux-Arts in the 19th century? What did it take to win the coveted Prix de Rome? Jason examines some firsthand accounts of students and critics of the Ecole, highlighting the similarities with - and differences from - contemporary art training in academies and ateliers.

Direct download: Episode_23_-_Inside_the_Ecole_Des_Beaux-Arts.mp3
Category:19th Century -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 22 - Rude Awakening

Francois Rude is likely the most important sculptor you've never heard of... Known today as 'the father of naturalism is sculpture', during his own lifetime he was exiled, denied official recognition, and relegated to a corner of the Parisian sculptural scene - and despite everyone's best efforts, changed the course of art history anyway. Find out what debt we all owe to Francois Rude in this episode of The Sculptor's Funeral.

Direct download: Episode_22_-_Rude_Awakening.mp3
Category:19th Century -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 21 - Isn't it Romantic?

Frankenstein's Monster, scenes of disaster and shipwreck, Edgar Allen Poe's 'The Raven'... what could be more Romantic? in this episode, Jason explores the Romantic movement in art, a direct competitor to Neoclassicism, and answers your burning questions as to what flowers and chocolates on St. Valentine's Day have to do with 1st century Greek  literature.

Direct download: Episode_21_-_Isnt_it_Romantic.mp3
Category:19th Century -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 20 - Canova

The Three Graces. Cupid and Psyche. Napoleon. Everyone knows Antonio Canova, and you either love him or hate him. But - love him or hate him - do you understand him? The Sculptor's Funeral explores Canova's work in the context of the Enlightenment and French Revolution, and finds there is more to Canova than just a sculptor of ideal nudes.

Direct download: Episode_20_-_Canova.mp3
Category:Neoclassicism -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 19 - Michelangelo Bronzes?!?

News Flash! Art historians claim to have identified two bronze statuettes as by the hand of Michelangelo! in this current events episode, Jason attempts to examine the hard evidence for this claim, but discovers there isn't any...

Direct download: Episdoe_19_-_Michelangelo_Bronzes.mp3
Category:News and Notes -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 18 - Houdon

Jean Antoine Houdon was the greatest portrait sculptor in European history. The fidelity to nature he maintained in his work was an inspiration for the Realists of the 19th century and each generation which came after - all the more amazing when we consider that Houdon was a product of the Rococo and the Old Regime!

Direct download: Episode_18_-_Houdon.mp3
Category:Neoclassicism -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 17 - What's So Neo about Neoclassicism?

The idea of looking towards Greek art for inspiration wasn't exactly new in the late 18th Century with artists such as Canova and David. Artists had been doing it constantly, and for centuries. And yet, the name we give the dominant style of that period - Neoclassicism - seems to imply there was. What was so 'Neo' about Neoclassicism? Listen to the podcast and join the Enlightened.

Direct download: 17_-_Whats_neoclassicism.mp3
Category:Neoclassicism -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Exactly how and when did the focus of European art move from Florence and Rome, to Paris? This episode explores the rise of the French academic system and the forerunners of the Ecole Des Beaux-Arts and the Paris Salon under the absolute monarchy of Louis XIV.

Direct download: Episode_16_-_The_French_Connection.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 15 - Bernini and the Total Work of Art

Bernini Part Two! We discuss how Bernini sought to combine color, sculpture light and architecture into a single, unified, and total work of art. But Bernini went beyond even that, by creating what can be described as 'layered realities' within several of his works resulting in some of the richest and most complex sculptures ever created.

Direct download: Episode_15_-_Bernini_and_the_total_work_of_art.mp3
Category:Baroque -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 14 - Bernini, Part One

Apollo and Daphne, Pluto and Persephone, The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa... Never has a single sculptor produced as many absolute masterpieces as Gianlorenzo Bernini. In this first of a two-part episode, Jason discusses Bernini's biography and his important early works which initiated the Baroque Era of sculpture.

Direct download: Episode_14_-_Bernini_Part_One_-_the_formation_of_the_Baroque.mp3
Category:Baroque -- posted at: 3:36am EDT
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