Just a wee bit of a rant.

[Mike S.]

I know this may upset a few people, but is anyone else growing tired of the whole "bust" of a figure fad?

My main issue is that so few are executed in a manner brilliant enough to hold their own as true artistic busts. Never mind the details and accouterments, I'm talking about their worth as portraits captured in time.

As an artist and illustrator myself, I can tell you that it isn't simply a matter of cutting a torso in half, mounting it on a pedestal, and calling it finished.

I'll duck for cover as the flak begins.

 

[Einion]

No flak from me, I agree on all points.

I love busts - I cut my teeth on them when I got really serious about painting (and then about sculpting) - but I think many makers lose sight of what a bust should be for.

Einion

 

[stu]

Please enlighten us all as to what a bust should be for.

For me, in whatever form they come in, they are to be enjoyed

Stu

 

[ryall]

I Agree

I come from another angle
There are many busts out there, such as Youngs that I don't buy, but if they were full figures I would have bought them. This would of included his new German bust with MG42 and the modern U.S Iraq Figure bust.

 

[Jamie Stokes]

well,
I agree that many busts aren't that animated, or have a lot character in them, until now, I have never had that thought......

Some portraits I have seen wouldn't come up to the same standard though. I'm thinking of explorers, royalty, so on.....

So, for discussion sake, what would/ should a bust do, to be classed as portrait in 3-d?

keeping in mind that mostly it will be individual interpretation and/ 0r personal preference....... though there will be some truly 'great' busts in existence.

(Flak guns locked, safeties on, pulls up a chair, opens a drink of choice, sits back and enjoys)

PS - just re-read the original post; now I understand that it is about a bust that is more then head and shoulders. One that is from waist to head, basically.

 

[tonydawe]

Hi Mike,

I don't agree but I respect your point of view and your right to express it.

I like both busts and full figures for different reasons, and I feel the best busts are capable of being as artistic as the best figures.

To me the bust allows the painter to really focus on the face and create personality in a way that a full figure doesn't always allow you to do. Carl Reid's magnificent busts are a case in point. To me they represent artistry at its best.

 

[IIICorps]

...is anyone else growing tired of the whole "bust" of a figure fad?...

No.

 

[thegoodsgt]

I'd like to see more busts with distinctive faces, that is, fewer "handsome" faces.

 

[housecarl]

I like the occasional bust too.
Carl.

 

[gothicgeek]

" but is anyone else growing tired of the whole "bust" of a figure fad? "

No.

 

[gordy]

Fad, not really... from a sculptors point of view, I enjoy seeing the emphasis on facial characterizations apart from the entirety (full form) a sculptor can pack a lot more wallop into a good bust's facial features.

I feel they make great canvases for personalities as well.

What I'd like to see is, is aspiring sculptors fully form some of these great busts, they would make a good starting point for major conversions where as the most difficult parts are done (hands and head), something else to consider.

That's my two bits -

 

[Einion]

Please enlighten us all as to what a bust should be for.

Really Stu? Anyway, busts are traditionally a form of portraiture, usually with the focus on the face/head. And they still should be IMB.

I think I'll wait until Mike S posts back before adding any more since it's his thread and I don't want to take over with a 500-word plug for traditional bust styles or aesthetics; maybe he wants to do that.

Einion

 

[stu]

Oh !,

Just had a look after recalling a picture of a bust of the emperor commodus as a gladiator, if I am able I'll put it up but computers are not my forte.

It would seam that this very problem goes quite a way back as he has both arms and a club and I believe was the inspiration for pegaso's 75mm. So it would seam that things are not so cut and dry.

If these types of bust being more than just a head and shoulders are not wanted then market forces will cease their production, its that simple.

My own range are termed pedestal pieces, but they come under a broad category of busts, maybe we need a new sub category .

Stuart

 

[gothicgeek]

et voilà

 

[FigureLover]

I love a good bust, but am picky in what I do like about them, the sculpt must have good character, something that just grabs the eye. Whether its the smug smile of James Bond or the war weary look of a soldier, it must tell a story in just the face only, and to paint this is a challenge in itself.
I am doing a conversion at the moment of a bust into an almost full figure, the reason is that the bust on its own, although sculpted well, did not give me a story, and she was sculpted with one arm and the other finishing at the shoulder, it looked odd and I thought it needed finishing off.
I think that there is and always will be a place for busts in the figure world, its a place to refine your flesh painting skills and to concentrate on that aspect only.
Ben

 

[Bone]

Bust?.......hmmmmmm.......yummy....

 

[TWOMOONS]

Grow tired of busts? Pshawww...I should say not....where would be be without them?

 

[carl reid]

You won't receive any flak from me Mike...

As a sculptor responsible for a number of these busts, I felt compelled to offer my opinion. I enjoy sculpting busts and half figures alike, and like Stu said market forces dictate, as long as there is a market for half figures they will continue to be sculpted and bought.

I'm not sure I would use the word fad, as I've been sculpting half figures for many many years. I started sculpting half figures with Magua all those yeras ago, and it caused as much controversy then as the mere mention of half figures does now. It's just one of those emotive subjects that really is down to opinions and nothing else!
The same could be said for most subjects, Knights for example, 1:35th scale Germans etc, but they will continue to be sculpted and manufactured because they are a safe bet! Pegaso produce knights because they know they will sell! After all it is business and it has to be viable.

In the end it boils down to choice, and the more choice without restrictions the better, and in my opinion the hobby can only benefit from that!

Carl

 

[Mike S.]

Without conducting an entire Art History lecture, I think the most concise and helpful advice would be for one to study the best among the full sized portraiture busts by the masters. In this instance, the realist artists past and present as it will relate to our hobby of literal depiction. Ditto 3/4 view portrait paintings and drawings.

You will see that the emphasis is on capturing not only a full likeness of a real human being in time and place, but also tweaking the subtle details that make all the difference such as the angle of the head, expressions, blending of the cropped shoulders, animation indicators of what is going on with the undepicted body below as it impacts the shoulders, upper arms, back, clavicle, and related adornment details all so that one is not distracted by the cut off point and leaves the viewer fully satiated. A wooden, looking dead on pose is avoided at all costs, a problem I refer to as the static, tobacco store Indian chief sculpts. The sculpt should appear alive before the painting has even begun on the very best of the bunch.

This is probably the most difficult form of what is already the acme of art, the human figure and face. If you are going to tackle portraiture, you had better have your chops in order. The finest portraits, busts or otherwise, have two key components: they capture a likeness of course, but they also have a je ne sais quoi that makes them stand out as interesting and beautiful works of art apart from the likeness alone.

As I mentioned, what may work for a whole figure, will be lacking in many cases with all the attention directed to the human face alone.

Additionally, someone mentioned that many scale busts leave one unsatisfied for what it is, rather they are left wishing that the whole, full length figure had been depicted. I concur completely. A well done bust won't solicit that reaction.

Again, this isn't a slam against busts in general by any means, rather it is directed against the caliber and quality as works of art of many of the offerings flooding the current demand.

At the end of the day, this hobby is about the uniforms and the individuals who wear/wore them. We as a group are definitely fascinated by the more material culture side of military history. I think in many instances, a full length figure is better suited to convey this.

 

[garyjd]

No. ~Gary