A bit about myself

My name is Iain, I am eight years old and I live in Madrid (Spain) with my mother and father. I speak Spanish and English because I'm half and half. And I have lots of questions. I started this blog when I was four.

My mother does something fun here:

My father is very beautiful and special too.

My cousin Inés has a rather great blog called Cool, yeah!

14.7.13

What's it made of?

This morning we went to see an exhibition of a sculptor and painter called Alberto Giacometti who made lots of very very long and tall people. We thought this one looked a bit like the BFG (we've read that recently at bedtime. It's by Roald Dahl and it so very funny we have started reading it again straight away). Except he didn't have big ears. He was really called "L'homme qui marche" which my mother translated for me. It means "The man who walks" or "The walking man". But I gave him another name: The Sleepwalker. That's what he looked like. He looked like a man walking in his sleep.

This was my favourite of all.

Daddy's favourite was another man who was also walking.

Mummy's favourite was a very tiny gold figure, quite similar to my favourite sleepwalking man, but about the size of my little finger.





We all liked this mother and daughter:
And this funny one too: 

I thought it was very funny that apparently when Giacometti was about ten years old he made his first heads with plasticine. He made the heads of his brothers Diego and Bruno. (I have a cousin called Diego and a friend called Bruno!)

We might try to make a plasticine BFG this afternoon. If it turns out well, I'll put it up on the blog. 

My question for today is: What materials did he use in his sculptures? We have looked this up and he seemed to use lots of different things. My sleepwalker is made of bronze. But he also used wood, iron, stone, string, plaster and wire. 

Do you know any other materials that can be used to make sculptures? 

Added on 15th July: 
We did make our own plasticine BFG this morning! And a Sophie (she's blue because we don't have that many plasticine colours. Here they go: 



What do you think? We thought of a trick and used drinking straws to keep the giant's arms and legs rigid. 
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1 comentario:

  1. E. Duthie15/7/13, 10:05

    My grandfather sent me this by email, so I thought I'd add it to the comments:

    I am glad you liked Giacometti's work. He had a wonderful face. I don't think he ever made a fat statue.

    You can use just about any material for sculpture. The one that takes the longest time is probably marble. You get a block of
    marble and then you take a chisel and go chip chip chip. In other words you work IN to make the shape you want.

    The other way is to work OUT. You get some clay or plasticine and add to to it to make the shape you want.

    Giacommetti's family were, I think, blacksmiths. Maybe that is why he liked melting metals like bronze. He'd make a hollow statue - and then poured the liquid metal inside and let it cool and set.

    I hope your BFG has GOOD ears.

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