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 67 - Interview with Michael Defeo

In this interview, Jason talks with Michael Defeo, a sculptor who has developed dozens of characters for animated features like Ice Age and Despicable Me, using every tool at his disposal, from clay to Zbrush and beyond. But what is 'digital' sculpting? Is it 'really' sculpting? How does it work?  Mike and Jason discuss these questions and more.

Direct download: Episode_67_-_Michael_Defeo.mp3
Category:interview -- posted at: 2:00am EDT
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Episode 66 - Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Part Two

In the second half of this two-part episode, we discuss several works by Saint-Gaudens; monuments that in the hands of lesser sculptors would have been standard, run-of-the-mill statues. But in the hands of a genius, commonplaces become masterpieces.

Direct download: Episode_66_-_Augustus_Saint-Gaudens_Part_Two.mp3
Category:19th Century -- posted at: 6:58am EDT
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Episode 65 - Augustus Saint-Gaudens Part One

To tell the story the story of the career of Augustus Saint-Gaudens is to tell the story of American sculpture in the late 19th century. In the first of this two-part biography, we discuss the beginnings of his remarkable career, his unique achievements in low relief, and more.

Direct download: Edpisode_65_-_Augustus_Saint-Gaudens_Part_One.mp3
Category:19th Century -- posted at: 12:28pm EDT
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Episode 64 - Robert Bodem

One of the most influential instructors in figurative sculpture today, Robert Bodem has been the Director of Sculpture at the Florence Academy of Art since FAA started to offer sculpture in the 1990's. If you have ever wondered just what it is they do at the Florence Academy sculpture department, this interview is for you. Rob talks about his teaching curriculum and methodology, as well as his own work and influences.

Direct download: Episode_64_-_Robert_Bodem.mp3
Category:interview -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 63 - Harriet Hosmer

Harriet Hosmer was known in her day as a 'Lady Sculptor', an 'Emancipated Woman', and as a leading member of 'The White Marmorean Flock'. What all the meant was that she was a successful, independent sculptor at a time when such a career path was hardly open to women. And today, she is barely known at all... In this episode, find out why her work and life is worth remembering.

Direct download: Episode_63_-_Harriet_Hosmer.mp3
Category:19th Century -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Romanticism Redux

Host Jason Arkles bids you all a Romantic Adieu (Don't worry, it's just the Season Finale) with this rebroadcast of the Romanticism podcast, as well as discusses the Sculptor's Funeral podcast itself and how it's doing, and gives a big thanks to those who have helped it become what it is.

Direct download: Episode_62_-_Romanticism_Redux.mp3
Category:19th Century -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 61 - Hiram Powers

The first American sculptor to achieve international fame, Hiram Powers, did so with a statue which was as controversial for its anti-slavery sentiment as it was for its (gasp!) nudity. We know that America eventually overcame the scourge of slavery; but how did 19th century America deal with the scourge of the nude in art?

Direct download: Episode_61_-_Hiram_Powers.mp3
Category:19th Century -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 60 - 'Merica

What New World? European settlers on the American continent brought Old World European tastes in sculpture with them from their earliest days, but it wasn't until 1825 that an American-born sculptor, Horatio Greenough, journeyed to Europe to learn how it was done.

Direct download: Episode_60_-_Merica.mp3
Category:19th Century -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 59 - Brian Booth Craig Part Two - But I Digress

Brian Booth Craig talks a lot. Usually this is not a problem, I can edit an interview into a snappy hour long episode - but what Brian says is so interesting and engaging, I can't help but make another episode from all the off-topic conversation I had with him. Listen in and find out why I think he's one of the most thoughtful and perceptive figurative sculptors we have around these days.

Direct download: Episode_59_-_Brian_Booth_Graig_But_I_Digress.mp3
Category:interview -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 58 - Brian Booth Craig

Today's interview on the Sculptor's Funeral has me talking with Brian Booth Craig, one of the leading figurative sculptors of the day. We discuss Craig's unique education and work experience, which led on the path toward producing some of the most original and thought-provoking work in a genre awash in repetitive banality - the female nude.

Direct download: episode_58_-_Brian_Booth_Craig.mp3
Category:interview -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 57 - Giovanni Duprè, Part Two

The second part of the dramatic reading from The Autobiography of Giovanni Duprè, in which Duprè receives a crit from Lorenzo Bartolini, is accused of art fraud, and nearly causes the accidental death of his nude model. We've all been there, right?

Direct download: Episode_57_-_Dupre_Part_Two.mp3
Category:19th Century -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 56 - Giovanni Duprè, Part One

The Sculptor's Funeral Theater is back with another dramatic reading! The Autobiography of Giovanni Duprè is the memoir of a man who had to fight every step of the way to achieve his dream of becoming a sculptor. Though written over a century ago, his struggles and his triumphs are familiar to many figurative sculptors and sculpture students today.

Direct download: Episode_56_-_Giovanni_Dupre_part_1.mp3
Category:19th Century -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 55 - Raffaello Romanelli

We talk with Florentine sculptor Raffaello Romanelli, sixth generation sculptor and proprietor of one of the most historic sculpture studios in Europe. Through his family's work we can trace the progression from Neoclassicism through Romanticism, Modernism, and right through to the present resurgence of figurative sculpture. 

Direct download: Episode_55_-_Raffaello_Romanelli.mp3
Category:interview -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 54 - Lorenzo Bartolini

This episode kicks of the exploration of the OTHER 19th century in sculpture - the one occurring outside the milieu of Paris. Lorenzo Bartolini shaped the sculpture of 19th century Italy, evolving the Neoclassicism of Canova into a ethos which sought to seek Beauty in Truth, and Truth in Beauty.

Direct download: Episode_54_-_Lorenzo_Bartolini.mp3
Category:19th Century -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 53.6 - Canova Redux

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_53.6_-_Canova_Redux.mp3
Category:Neoclassicism -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 53.5 - Neoclassicism Redux

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 the late 18th century - Neoclassicism - seems to imply there was. What was so 'Neo' about Neoclassicism? Listen to the podcast and join the Enlightened.

Direct download: 53.5_-_Neoclassicism_Redux.mp3
Category:Neoclassicism -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 53 - What is Plaster?

Plaster - where would we sculptors be without it? As fundamental as this versatile material is to the basic processes of sculpture, how many of us know why plaster does what it does - or what it's even made of? This podcast sheds light on these and other mysteries, and includes an interview with unabashed plaster lover Alicia Ponzio.

Direct download: Episode_53_-_What_is_plaster.mp3
Category:Shop talk -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 52 - Sabin Howard Interview

Figurative sculptor Sabin Howard has just been selected to complete the sculptural components of the National World War One Memorial in Washington, DC. In this interview, Howard talks about how he arrived at the concepts behind the sculptures for the memorial (which will include a frieze in bronze over 80 feet long),  and his approach towards his art.

Direct download: Episode_52_-_Sabin_Howard.mp3
Category:interview -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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 Michelangelo's path to immortality continues to twist and turn in this episode, detailing his time in Florence working on the New Sacristy, a commission for which he worked Day and Night, and from Dawn to Dusk...

Direct download: Episode_51_-_Michelangelo_and_the_New_Sacristy.mp3
Category:renaissance -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 50 - Michelangelo and the Tomb of Pope Julius

Just because you are the immortal genius Michelangelo doesn't mean you have it easy... This episode explored the trials and tribulations of the commission for the Tomb of Pope Julius II, the the lavishly extravagant commission of the century - that was never meant to be.

Direct download: Episode_50_-_Michelangelo_and_the_Tomb_of_Pope_Julius.mp3
Category:renaissance -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 49 - Tools: If you want something done right....

Today's podcast features interviews of three sculptors - Matt Kindy, Spencer Schubert, and Philippe Faraut - who have found that the best quality sculpture tools are the ones they make themselves. And luckily for us, these sculptors also handcraft their high quality tools in small amounts and make them available to others.

Direct download: Episode_49_-_Tools_-_If_you_want_something_done_right.mp3
Category:Shop talk -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 48 - "THE" David

...You know which David. You know who created it. But do you know why it was created in the first place, or how it ended up becoming one of the most famous works of art on earth? And what's with the big head?? The Sculptor's Funeral Podcast digs into the David's origins to get a better understanding of Michelangelo's masterpiece, and debunks a few myths along the way.

Direct download: Episode_48_-_THE_David.mp3
Category:renaissance -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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Episode 47.6 - Michelangelo, Man and Myth Redux

Happy New Year from The Sculptor's Funeral, everyone! Here's the introduction to Michelangelo episode which aired a year ago - good prep for next week's all new episode about his David.

Direct download: Episode_47.6_-_Michelangelo_Man_and_Myth_Redux.mp3
Category:renaissance -- posted at: 12:00am EDT
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