PSEB Class 12 Modelling & Sculpture flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Dancing Girl bronze

Lost-wax bronze figurine from Mohenjo-daro, about 10.5 cm tall, showing a slender female figure with many bangles and her right hand on the hip.

Didarganj Yakshi

Mauryan-period female chauri-bearer in highly polished sandstone, found at Didarganj near Patna and famous for its mirror-like surface and frontal stance.

Sarnath Lion Capital

Ashokan pillar capital in polished Chunar sandstone with four addorsed lions on an abacus of wheels and animals; adopted as the State Emblem of India.

Gandhara school

Kushana-era sculptural school of the northwest using grey schist, combining Greco-Roman naturalism - wavy hair and heavy drapery folds - with Buddhist subjects such as Bodhisattvas.

Chola lost-wax bronzes

South Indian copper-alloy images such as Nataraja, cast by the cire-perdue method in Chola-period workshops and finished with chiselling, inlay and ritual consecration.

Plaster-to-water ratio

Normal mould consistency is about two parts plaster to one part water by weight; sift plaster into water, stir gently and use it before it stiffens.

Modelling stand

Weighted pedestal with a rotating turntable and upright that carries the armature, letting the sculptor work all round the figure at a fixed height.

Armature

Internal support of metal rod, wire or wood inside clay or wax; it is kept slightly smaller than the intended form so it never breaks the surface.

Silica dust hazard

Fine crystalline silica from plaster, clay dust and stone carving scars lungs; work damp, wear a P2 respirator and ventilate or extract the bench.

Lost-wax process

Cire-perdue casting: a wax model is invested in a refractory mould, the wax melted out, molten metal poured in, and the mould broken to release the cast.

Head height unit

The adult standing figure measures roughly seven to seven-and-a-half head heights, one head being the crown-to-chin distance taken from the model.

Eye line at mid-head

On a standard adult head the eye line falls at the vertical midpoint between crown and chin, lower than beginners usually place it.

Plumb line

A weighted string hung from the pit of the neck or from the ear to check that head, chest and pelvis stack over the supporting foot.

Turntable discipline

Rotating the modelling stand at every stage so the figure is judged as a silhouette from front, three-quarter, side and back rather than front only.

Caliper measuring

Dividers or calipers carry widths, depths and lengths from the live model to the clay; set the measurement, then verify visually before cutting clay away.

Bas-relief

Low relief in which forms project less than half their natural depth from the ground plane, so graded shading rather than undercutting defines them.

High relief

Forms projecting more than half their bulk from the background, often undercut, casting deep shadows and reading almost as sculpture in the round.

Ground plane

The flat background surface from which a relief rises; its level must stay consistent across the panel or the relief appears warped.

Undercutting

Cutting material away beneath a projecting form so it casts a shadow; excessive undercutting weakens the relief's attachment and thins its edge.

Silhouette test

Squinting or backlighting the composition to check that grouped figures read as distinct shapes and do not merge into one undifferentiated mass.

Waste mould

Single-use plaster mould taken from a clay original and broken away after casting, so it yields exactly one positive and no repeats.

Piece mould keys

Matching cones or pyramids carved into the plaster sections that lock the mould back into exact register each time it is reassembled.

Parting agent

Soft soap, shellac, oil or commercial release applied to a dry plaster surface so the next plaster layer lifts cleanly instead of bonding.

Plaster setting exotherm

Plaster of Paris sets by rehydrating to gypsum and releases heat; warm water speeds setting while cold water or retarder slows it down.

Contrapposto

Pose in which weight rests on one leg so the hips tilt, the shoulders counter-tilt and the spine curves, giving the figure rhythm rather than stiffness.

Asymmetrical balance

Equilibrium built from unequal masses, for example a large quiet volume balanced by a small active or dark form placed far from centre.

Rhythm in sculpture

Repetition of a motif, edge or plane with variation in size or interval, leading the eye through the mass rather than stopping it dead.

Mass and void

The relationship of solid volume to the empty spaces it encloses or opens; voids read as shapes and must be composed deliberately.

Portfolio record sheet

Per-work entry giving title, date, size, medium, armature type, number of sittings, four-view photographs and a note on the problems solved.

Maquette

Small preliminary model in clay, wax or card used to test pose, proportion and composition before starting the full-size work.

Viva-voce

Oral examination in which the candidate explains intention, process, material choices and faults in the submitted works and defends the written record.

Process documentation

Dated photographs and sketches at armature, block-in, refinement and finishing stages that prove how the submitted work was actually made.