Female sculptures from red earth clay
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Humans have been expressing themselves in images and sculptures since the dawn of time. The body is an eternal theme in the visual arts and has been depicted in countless styles and materials. Venus of Willendorf is an 11.1 cm tall figurine believed to have been carved 22,000-24,000 years ago. The figurine is carved from limestone and painted with ocher. In this assignment, the pupils base their designs on the small figurine. It is obvious to compare the presentation of the female shape in this figurine with other examples from art history as well as today's female ideals of a women. Instead of carving the figure from stone, the pupils work with red earth clay. The colour of the red earth clay is reminiscent of the ocher with which the original was painted. At the same time, the pupils can copy the process from the original sculpture by partially carving out the figure from clay, but due to the nature of the clay it is also ideal to model parts of the figurine from clay.
How to do it Download the templates/recipes
1 Give each pupil a lump of red earth clay with chamotte. Allow 10 kg of clay for a total of 8 pupils. The original Venus figurine is approx. 11 cm in height. Give each pupil a photo of the Venus figurine as a template and for inspiration.
2 Use hands and modelling tools to pull, shape and smooth out the figurine's body and body parts from the lump of clay.
Don't model any further details until the basic figurine has rested/hardened in a tightly sealed plastic bag for a week.
3 Now start modelling and detailing the leather-hard clay with ribbon cutters and modelling tools. You may hollow out the bottom of the clay figurine with a ribbon cutter.
4 Leave the figurines to dry – or fire them in a pottery kiln at approx. 1,000°C for better durability.
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