Art dolls have been blowing up the online market for years now, but what separates dolls from sculptures? According to a post by Hannie Sarris,
"The Art Doll is a work of art drawn from the mind and hand of the artist and not bound by the same rules as dolls in other categories.
It doesn't have to be recognizable as a human form.
It may be dressed or not.
If dressed, the clothes may be carved, sculpted, glued on etc.
Any media is permissible and likely.
The art doll is judged by the same criteria as any other form of art, i.e., by the principles of design, scale, proportion, contrast, dominance, rhythm, balance, and must be judged for what it IS, nothing else."
These days, however I feel like sculpture is also free of conventional rules and mediums. In other words, in both cases anything goes. In both cases, any medium can be used. In both cases, the original subject of the piece doesn't have to be recognizable.
Maybe the big difference is scale? In my opinion, an art doll could easily be described as a sculpture of a person that, whether clothed or not, looks to have its own life, personality and backstory and can be held or posed by the artist or owner. They can be decorative, like sculptures, but retain some characteristics of a toy.
"The Art Doll is a work of art drawn from the mind and hand of the artist and not bound by the same rules as dolls in other categories.
It doesn't have to be recognizable as a human form.
It may be dressed or not.
If dressed, the clothes may be carved, sculpted, glued on etc.
Any media is permissible and likely.
The art doll is judged by the same criteria as any other form of art, i.e., by the principles of design, scale, proportion, contrast, dominance, rhythm, balance, and must be judged for what it IS, nothing else."
These days, however I feel like sculpture is also free of conventional rules and mediums. In other words, in both cases anything goes. In both cases, any medium can be used. In both cases, the original subject of the piece doesn't have to be recognizable.
Maybe the big difference is scale? In my opinion, an art doll could easily be described as a sculpture of a person that, whether clothed or not, looks to have its own life, personality and backstory and can be held or posed by the artist or owner. They can be decorative, like sculptures, but retain some characteristics of a toy.