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Sculpture

Sculpture is the art of conceiving a three-dimensional artwork. Sculptures can be formed by shaping any hard material, the most common being stone (either marble or granite), wood or metal. Sculpting artists can also create sculptures using softer materials like clay or plastic that can be harden after they are shaped. Sculptures can also be made from rope, chain, wire or many other materials. Certain sculptors specialize in using other unusual or bizarre materials. They create contemporary sculptures that use traditional techniques but new materials.

Sculpture is one of the earliest known forms of art, with some sculptures dating back to the earliest known civilizations. Throughout the centuries sculpture has remained very popular as a way of teaching people lessons about morality and acceptable social interaction. It is also popular as means of expressing religious beliefs, decorating homes and useful objects, and as a way of remembering the dead.

In today's world, there are illustrations of sculptures from civilizations around the world that can be seen in museums or as part of landscaping outside buildings and in parks and gardens. People have used sculptures to ornament buildings and grounds for centuries. In fact, we often don't really notice how much sculpture there is around us, but if we begin to consciously take note of them, we would see ample examples of sculpture.

Using sculptures in homes and gardens as decorations has become more popular nowadays. There are many types of garden sculptures available in the market and some even created by renowned artists. This is due to the fact that people are focusing more on making their homes more expressive of the homeowner's unique personality, more comfortable and more decorative.

Sculpting as an art form is defined to be a class of fine art. Thus, scores of sculptors spend years learning ancient sculpting techniques and learning to express their own artistic visions through wood, stone metal, and plaster. The process of sculpting is without doubt a long and complicated one. There are many steps involved in creating the final three dimensional figures that gets exhibited and displayed. There are higher learning programs that are devoted to teaching the art of sculpting. Nonetheless, many great sculptors are self-taught using the same and effective methods that the great sculptors throughout history used.

Many different forms of sculpture were used in Asia, such as China, India, with many pieces being religious art based around Hinduism and Buddhism. In Thailand, sculpture was almost exclusively of Buddha images. Many Thai sculptures or temples are gilded, and on occasion enriched with inlays.