A sculpture technique where an artist carves directly into stone or wood without making a preliminary model, allowing spontaneous creative decisions during the process.
From 'direct' (Latin directus, 'straightforward') + 'carving' (from Old Norse kerfa, 'to carve'). The term emerged in early 20th-century art criticism to describe modernist sculptors' rejection of traditional plaster-model methods.
Direct carving was revolutionary because artists like Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth could discover forms while working, responding to the stone itself—the medium became a conversation partner rather than just a material to fill a predetermined design.
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