Abstract monumental metal sculpture: development of expressive means

The paper focuses on the new types of artistic expression in the form of monumental sculptures of the modernist period. At the beginning of the 20th century, new types of symbolic associations of sculpture appeared. The significance of this work is determined by the great attention of contemporary sculptors to abstraction in their work and the powerful social resonance of abstract monumental sculpture. The aim of the article was also to identify new messages that were embedded in the concept of significant monumental works. The focus was on abstract sculpture of the modernist and contemporary periods. As the title implies the article describes such means of expressiveness of sculptural works as spatial staging, architectonic organization of volume, transmission of movement, and light and shadow modeling. The article gives a detailed analysis of these positions in relation to the design of a few abstract monumental metal sculptures that are unique and have an impact on contemporary conceptual art. Another task of the work was to establish the influence of iconic abstract sculptures, the ideas of which were developed in the first half of the twentieth century, on the development of abstract sculpture in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. It has been determined that the spatial arrangement can be either dependent on a specific memorial or place or unrelated to them. Both well-known means of composition, such as rhythmic sequences, and original formal techniques, such as flat or tectonic foregrounds, are used in the organization of the volume. Associations with imaginary movement arise when observing the rhythm of the elements, when viewing the sculpture from different angles, when analyzing the internal tension in the form or balancing unstable parts of the sculpture against the main axis. No less important is the daylight, which is also considered by the sculptor to highlight the relief of the form, artificial lighting enhances its expressiveness and allows you to more clearly identify the idea of the artwork that was laid down when creating the sculpture. Particular attention in this study is paid to the forms of plastic messages, thanks to which the author's concept becomes more expressive. These messages are specific to each sculpture, for example, they create the illusion of infinity, combine architectural and natural spaces, allow for a free interpretation of tectonic natural forms, symbolize universal values, and comprehend the role of emptiness in the sculptural form. It is emphasized that the commemorative purpose of monumental sculpture, inherent in the classical period, is significantly complemented by other meanings due to the abstract nature of sculptural forms. A significant breakthrough made in sculpture in the early twentieth century paved the way for the emergence of many innovative solutions in contemporary abstract sculptural creativity.