The development and techniques of wax sculpture

Abstract

The manufacture of wax and its use has varied throughout history, whether it is used for utilitarian purposes, decorative, or religious, thus this material has found its way into the daily lives of the people. Wax is essentially the result of the process required for the production of honey, with beeswax sort of being a by-product that has been found to be quite useful. Its properties and features were found to be quite desirable, together with the fact that it is readily available wherever honey is produced and its high malleability and easily workable form making it a popular material as part of the artistic process of many an artist. The popularity of wax as an artistic medium can be also attributed to the ease with which one can add colour to the material, which allowed the artists to give colour to their creations, especially if their intent is to use the wax as main material of their finished work. This dissertation is meant to provide the reader with further information on the historical use of wax, specifically its origins and the manufacturing processes behind the production of the material itself, and its application in the creation of works of art. It will also make observations on the properties of the material, and as to why an artist would have chosen to work in this medium rather than other materials an the different techniques which were used for the creation of various different works of art. These techniques differ according to what the artist is trying to achieve with his work, whether it is used as a material to sketch and formulate ideas for a work of art, as an intermediate stage as part of longer process, or else as a finished work of art in itself. The research on these techniques will then be related to a number of examples found within the local context. In doing this, one will be able to, not only better understand the production of these works of art, but possibly also relate more to the work of art mentioned, since the way in which it is produced might help interpret better the story of the work and how it came to be.