Relief - Definition and Overview

For other meanings, see Relief (disambiguation)

In the art of sculpture, a relief is an artwork where a modelled form projects out of a flat background. Tensed musculature itself may be seen to be in relief. Depending on the depth involved, it may be termed a bas relief ("low relief") – as seen in numismatics – or it may be a high relief, with much undercutting, rendered almost in the round against its flat background.

Reliefs are a common type of artwork found throughout the world, particularly to decorate monumental buildings, such as temples. The frieze in the classical Corinthian order is often enriched with bas-reliefs. High reliefs may been seen in the pediments of classical temples, e.g. the Parthenon. Reliefs can be used for a single scene, or ordered into a narrative.

Famous examples of reliefs include:

• Great Altar of Pergamon, now at the Pergamon Museum, Berlin
• Lions and dragons from the Ishtar Gate, Babylon
• Temple of Karnak in Egypt
• Angkor Wat in Cambodia
• Lion Capital of Asoka, the national symbol of India.
• glyphs and artwork of the Maya civilization
• The monument to the Confederacy at Stone Mountain, Georgia
• The representation of Monticello on a US nickel.