Relief in Sculpture Means Raised From the Surface
Relief is the easing of distress, and also raised carving. Both come from the idea of lifting.
Relief is the easing of pain or distress. Sculpture uses the same word literally: a *relief* is carving raised from a flat background, from Italian *rilievo*, a raising. Cartography borrowed it for the representation of height, and both senses come from Latin *relevare*, to lift up — which is also the source of *relieve*.
- Easing of distress. *A sense of relief.*
- Raised carving. *A bas-relief.*
- Height variation in land. *Relief maps.*
- A replacement. *The relief driver.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | relief | Great relief. |
| Verb | relieve | Relieve the pressure. |
| Adjective | relieved | Visibly relieved. |
| Related | relevant | A relevant point. |
| Related | elevate | Elevate the leg. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Bas-relief means low relief.Shallow carving.
- A relief map shows height.Cartography.
- Throw into sharp relief.Make a contrast vivid.
Degrees of sculptural relief
- Bas-relief — low, shallow projection
- Mezzo-relievo — medium projection
- Alto-relievo — high, close to freestanding
- Sunken relief — carved into the surface, common in Egypt
- Freestanding — sculpture in the round, not relief at all
From Old French *relief*, from *relever*, from Latin *relevare*, to lift up, from *re* and *levare*, to raise.
What is bas-relief?
Sculpture in which figures project only slightly from the background, from the French for low relief.
Are relevant and relief related?
Yes. Both come from Latin *levare*, to lift. Something relevant lifts up or bears on the matter.