Sculptures of great military figures in the parks of many cities are meant to inspire pride and patriotism in ones country. Sculptures of great religious figures found in churches are meant to create a sense of spiritual awe. Sculptures of great political leaders are meant to inspire people to achieve greatness. The sculptures of a society, because they often reside in accessible public places are seen by millions of people every day. They reflect society like no other type of art.

Sculpture like most forms of art is created with the idea of expressing a view. That view can be personal, political, religious, or other in nature. Invariably the view is meant to also meant to trigger an emotion in the heart and head of the viewer. Determining the quality of a sculpture is very difficult and is subjective as best. Artists as well as artist styles go in and out of vogue. But generally, any sculpture which can cause an emotion whether it is bringing tears to your eyes or joy to your heart can safely be considered art by most people.

A sculpture, even if not particularly distinctive in and of itself, can also be considered art if has influenced other major artist or art pieces. Paintings and sculptures also seem to attain “art” status as they survive the passage of time. That is why prehistoric drawings that you see in museums are treated as art even though they would not pass muster if an art student painted them today. Sculpture is a unique form of art – related to but separate from painting, music, poetry, and writing. Unlike the others, a sculpture is a three dimensional work of art. From its very beginnings, a sculpture was meant to last. Sculpture pieces were created using materials that themselves had passed the test of time – stone and marble, hard metals such as gold and silver, and wood.

One reason art is so hard to define is that artists, especially the creative ones, are often attempting to break the mold, to create something new. They want to create something unlike anything else around. And many times when that happens, the people of that time aren’t willing to accept the work as art. It’s just too far ahead of its time. Then later, if it lasts, people gradually begin to see the layers of complexity in it. They begin to understand and appreciate its meanings and nuances. Early and even some later Pablo Picasso sculptures are a perfect example of this. When Picasso’s 50 foot high untitled sculpture was first placed in Chicago’s Civic Center Plaza. Many considered it a monstrosity. Some newspapers panned it. And now, what was once so controversial, has become an undisputed landmark for the city of Chicago.

Metal can cut, textured, shaped, welded and colored. Using modern fabrication methods, an artist’s creativity is limited only by his imagination. Metal sculpture is one of the oldest forms of art known. While the first sculptures were created from stone, once man learned to use and shape metal sculpting with this material soon followed. While sculpting from stone and metal follow to completely opposing processes, the end result is, in both cases, a work of art. The sculptor using stone starts with a block of it and removes all the material that is not part of the image he is trying to create. When everything not required is gone, what remains is the sculpture. When working with metal the sculptor starts with nothing. He must find the metals he needs, shape them and join them together to form what he wants. If he is creating a molded metal work of art, he needs to create the mold into which the liquid metal is poured and from which the cooled hard material will take its shape.

Unlike stone sculpting, metal sculpture can be painted and polished to create additional effects. Also, metal sculpture is not limited to the use of metal alone. The final work of art can have metal combined with other materials such as wood, rubber and plastic, to create a variety of effects and meanings.

Metal sculpture also need not be static. Pieces of metal may be joined to each other in such a way that there is flexibility that allows the sculpture to bend and moves, as in the case of a working weather vane held in the raised hand of a human figure. A more modern take on this is the motorized metal sculpture. Electric and even gasoline engines are fixed to a sculpture allowing parts of it to move with mechanized precision.

Metal sculpture comes in all sizes from a one inch statue of a Pixie to a ten plus foot tall sculpture of an Amazon. Metal sculpture need not be realistic. Surreal creations using wired shapes and things found in a junk yard or at the back of a garage can be combined into great works of art. These is also almost no limit to the materials that can be used for metal sculpture. Any metal that can be cast, joined or shaped – which with today’s technology is nearly everything – can be used for creating meal sculptures.

And these works of art no not need to be only decorative. Metal sculpture can be designed or modified for practical applications. A sculpture with a flat top may be used as a table. One which is slim and tall maybe converted into a lamp. A small hollow one can be converted into a decorative flower pot. Unlike stone sculpture which are fragile in nature, metal is strong and if the design permits, any number of practical applications are possible.