Wood carving is a form of woodworking in which a figure or ornamental form is cut from wood using a knife held in one hand, a chisel worked with both hands, or a chisel driven with a mallet. The term also names the finished product, ranging from individual sculptures to hand-worked mouldings that form part of a larger structure.
Facts
MediumWood, worked with a knife, chisel or gouge and mallet; basswood and tupelo are the woods most often chosen for carving in North America. 1 Signature TechniqueCarving with gouges and chisels, always across or with the grain of the wood rather than against it, since the grain determines where a carving is strong or fragile. 1 Place of OriginNo single point of origin: wood sculpture developed independently across many world cultures, and the oldest known wood carving, the Shigir Idol, was found in the Ural Mountains of Russia. 1 Notable ExampleThe Shigir Idol, carved from larch roughly 12,000 years ago and the oldest known wood carving in the world. 1 Wood Carving
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Connections
Associated With
Sculpture, Art Forms Wood carving is one of the oldest sculptural techniques, historically understood as a branch of the broader art of sculpture.
Practitioners
Constantin Brancusi carved much of his mature sculptural output, including the Endless Column series, directly in wood.
Sources
1. Wood Carving (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundationlead section, first paragraph
Wood carving, also spelt woodcarving, is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet
Process, Selection
Probably the two most common woods used for carving in North America are basswood (aka tilia or lime) and tupelo; both are hardwoods that are relatively easy to work with.
Process, Sculpture
No matter what wood is selected or tool used, the wood sculptor must always carve either across or with the grain of the wood, never against the grain.
History section
The oldest wood carved sculpture, the Shigir Idol carved from larch, is around 12,000 years old.
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