雕塑的現代內涵：弗雷德里克．萊頓〈與蟒蛇搏鬥的運動員〉與新雕塑

The Modern Context of Sculpture: Frederic Leighton's An Athlete Wrestling with a Python and New Sculpture

弗雷德里克．萊頓於1877年創作的〈與蟒蛇搏鬥的運動員〉，被視為英國新雕塑運動的基石。其以青銅作為材質，脫胎於繪畫創作脈絡中的草圖階段，以立體模型研究平面繪畫空間和結構關係之嘗試，在雕塑媒材上的落實。〈運動員〉展現萊頓折衷古典風格與自然主義的風格呈現，敞開維多利亞時期雕塑的嶄新面向。本文以萊頓的藝術話語所呈現的審美判斷為起點，其從多元的視覺資料中，凝聚對於義大利藝術脈絡的歸屬與繼承，綜合歐陸自然主義新興的形象塑造品味，成為其藝術創作與論述中的審美品質。其後，分析英國新雕塑運動的時代背景，來自激發時下低迷英國雕塑景況的動機。之中，萊頓〈運動員〉的創作與身為皇家藝術學院院長的職份，起到推波助瀾的效果。〈運動員〉以萊頓嫻熟的唯美主義題材為起點，專注於純粹形式的創作研究，體現在其對於男性裸像與蟒蛇搏鬥之經典題材的承繼，以融會其折衷主義觀點的創作實踐，從雕塑形象的動勢與自然細節的生動表達，與引導觀者盤旋觀看之視覺鋪陳，啟發雕塑反思自身物理性與空間的傳統關係，展現萊頓審美的創造性落地於雕塑創作實踐中，與十九世紀末歐陸現代概念於文藝領域發展之內涵相互輝映之處。

Frederic Leighton's 1877 An Athlete Wrestling with a Python is regarded as the cornerstone of the New Sculpture movement in Britain. Created with bronze, Athlete has emerged from Leighton's method of painting, which is using three-dimensional clay modelli to explore the relationship between pictorial space and compositional structure. Eventually, this playful experiment has evolved into an allegory of Leighton's understanding of sculpture. Exhibiting an eclectic style between Neoclassicism and Naturalism, Athlete has opened up a new aspect of Victorian sculpture. Starting from the aesthetic judgement presented by Leighton's artistic discourse, this essay examines how Leighton has perspicaciously adopted both Italian Classicism and European Naturalism from a plethora of visual experiences, rendering them into the foundation of his edifice of aesthetics and artistic endeavors. Subsequently, by scrutinizing the history background of the New Sculpture movement in Britain, one can acknowledge the fact that the rise of the movement has undeniably revived the waxen general mood of sculpture during the latter half of the Victorian Era. Undoubtedly, Leighton's Athlete and his position as the President of the Royal Academy of Arts have played a pivotal role in leading British sculpture towards a new chapter. Although originating from Leighton's love of aesthetic motifs, Athlete focuses on the creation and study of pure form, while striving as a new interpretation of a classic theme- a male nude wrestling a python. The overall dynamic and the naturalistic details which exude a sense of vitality, together with the composition that grants the audience the opportunity to appreciate the sculpture from all angles, Athlete prompts one to reflect on the traditional relationship between a sculpture's own physicality and its surrounding space. At the same time, it illustrates how Leighton has utilized his aesthetic creativity in his sculptural practice, resonating with the uprising development of European modern concepts in the field of literature and art at the end of the nineteenth- century.