And by line I mean not only surface lines, but the lines
made by the planes in which the body lies, the lines of pose and
attitude. The predominance of a single type of line, the union of many
lines to form a single continuous line, balance and symmetry of line,
proportion of length and parallelism, are all to be found in sculpture.
Especially important is rhythm--the harmonious, balanced movement of
lines. In the "Venus de Milo," for example, the plane of the lower
limbs from the feet to the knees moves to the left; there is an opposite
and balancing movement from the right knee to the waist; the first
movement is repeated in the parallel line from the right hip to the
top of the head; this, in turn, is balanced by a line in the opposite
direction running from the left hip to the right shoulder, parallel
to the second line; but the equilibrium of line is not a rigid one,
for the body as a whole moves in an undulating line to the left,
imparting grace and a total unity.
The beauty of line in sculpture is, of course, no invention of the
artist; for nature has created it in the body itself. The sculptor
takes this beauty as the basis of his work, remodeling only by the
elimination of details, through which purer effects of line are
obtained, or by the selection and emphasis of pose, through which these
effects are rendered more intensely expressive. All conventionalization
is in the interest of increased beauty of line. But too great a
sacrifice of the natural contours of the body, as in some of the work
of the Cubists, results in a lifelessness that cannot be atoned for
by any formal beauty.
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