Relief

A relief [ reli̯ɛf ] is an artistic representation, the plastic stands out from the background, usually from a surface or body. The relief is available as an art form between the plastic (or sculpture) and the painting. Depending on how strongly protrude the figures and geometric or abstract forms from the base, it is called a bas-relief (also bas-relief ), half-relief or high relief. More generally, the term is used for all images, in which a raised form is present.

A special form is the sunk relief, which can be found eg in ancient Egyptian art, here characters / lines are worked into a " hollow form " in the base. Even in stone, metal, etc. incorporated writings can be seen as reliefs. An embossed medallion is a relief in a circular or elliptical frame.

In addition to stone, wood, ivory, especially metals are used, this usually bronze, copper, silver, gold, iron and steel / stainless steel ( eg, blacksmiths and metal sculptors ). As a technique in addition to the metal casting ( cast bronze or cast iron ), the buzz, engraving, stamping and forging is employed. Also cast stone or easily perishable materials like chocolate or paper are used in the art of relief.

The heyday the relief in the Hellenistic and Roman art as a decoration of temples and grave stelae. The relief as a linear, horizontal style element (eg meander ) is called in architecture and classical antiquity science as a frieze.

Famous reliefs of antiquity include the giant frieze of the Pergamon Altar, the Parthenon or the Ishtar Gate from Babylon. Art History significant and outstanding for its time in technical execution, are the reliefs by Lorenzo Ghiberti on the bronze doors at the Baptistery of San Giovanni in Florence during the transition from Gothic to Renaissance with then new perspective representations. Quintessence of art history: For the first time won the aesthetics as criteria for the site of a work of art takes precedence over its content.

Perhaps the greatest modern bas-relief ( low relief ) the world is the Stone Mountain, Georgia, USA, the size of a football field. Gigantic is considered high relief, Mount Rushmore, South Dakota, USA, which was carried out as well as Stone Mountain from concept, authoritative version of Gutzon Borglum ( 1867-1941 ). The indigenous people ( Lakota ) to see the dynamite in their sacred mountain exploded Monument as desecration.

As a significant example of contemporary art in metal relief, the 9 m high landmark in the harbor of Turku ( Finland) apply. The plastic water Harmonia (1996 ) by Achim Kühn was driven in stainless steel and electrolytically colored.