What Is A Relief Sculpture?

The most common forms of relief art are named for the number of carved figures protruding from the flat background: low relief, high relief, and sunken relief. Some people refer to them as wall sculptures.

Relief sculptures have a distinguished history dating back over 20,000 years in Eastern and Western cultures.

Processional frieze of the Ara Pacis in Rome, Italy. Bas relief created around 13 BC 

Artists and cultures from the early Egyptians to Ancient Romans and Greeks and even present-day artists have used relief style art to decorate buildings, mark important pieces or places, as signage, and simply as art to enjoy. Coins are likely the most well-known example of relief art.

The key to the relief art definition is that the art is three-dimensional work on a 2D background so that the relief artwork is not freestanding. It is not possible to walk around a piece of relief carving to see the other side; there is no other side.

The Horses of Anahita or The Flight of Night alto relief created in 1880 by William Morris Hunt

Goddess Seshat, low relief in the Amun temple at Luxor estimated creation date around 1250 BCE.

There are also other, less common, forms of relief art, such as:

• Stiacciato relief: A very low subtle relief style carving that barely protrudes from its surface.

• Mid relief: Also known as half-relief, this style is exactly as it seems; halfway between low relief and high relief.

• Counter-relief: Like a mold, the image is carved into a surface in the negative. (eliminating the figure from the material instead of carving out the figure from the material)

Generally, when an artist uses the term relief, they refer to low (bas) or high (alto) relief artwork.

Low relief, also known as bas relief, the artwork is work that is only slightly protruding from the surface. It is like an exaggerated painting of sorts; extra detail in the image to give it depth, but the figures do not have any under carving thus, they still appear somewhat flat against the background. The most famous example of low-relief is the frieze around the cella of the Parthenon, large portions of it are in the British Museum.

High relief, or alto relief, is one where in general more than half the mass of the sculpted figure projects from the background. The most prominent elements of the composition, especially heads and limbs, are often completely undercut, detaching them from the field. Mount Rushmore, in Keystone, South Dakota, is an example of a high relief.

Modern relief sculptors use a variety of materials to create. One of the most famous contemporary relief sculptors is Bill Mack, represented by Quent Cordair Fine Art.

Crescendo by Bill Mack in Bonded Mixed Metals

Bill Mack achieves this dramatic imagery by employing various unusual materials. His extensive experience with porcelains, acrylics, resins, silicons, and epoxies work to provide the perfect combination of crafted skill and artistic vision. Art experts have commented: "Mack's art elicits an immediate emotional response. The viewer becomes more than an observer; he becomes a participant in the drama unfolding before his eyes." 

Child of the Sea  alto-relief water fountain by Martin Eichinger at Quent Cordair Fine Art

Narrative artist, Martin Eichinger, has created two exceptional relief water fountains that use the force of water to rotate the art. Child of the Sea and Symphony in S Minor.

Martin Eichinger has produced several bodies of work in bronze that explore different life experiences. The works are grouped into five series: Duet, Dream, Exotic Women, Goddess, and Passage Series. In the Duet Series, he examines the nature of loving, committed relationships. The Passage Series deals with transcendence, the ability and strength to move beyond difficult times. The stories depicted in each of these sculptures are more than simple narratives: they contain opinions and lead to conclusions.

Both Bill Mack and Martin Eichinger’s work can be enjoyed and purchased at Quent Cordair Fine Art.