Kings Place: Lynn Chadwick, Geoffrey Clarke & Greg Tricker

Kings Place currently has two fascinating exhibitions to view. First, Pangolin London is presenting "the works of Lynn Chadwick (1914–2003) and Geoffrey Clarke (1924–2014), two of the greatest modern British sculptors of the 20th Century, together in their exhibition, Conjunction." "The exhibition is the first show to focus exclusively on the prolific careers of these two British sculptural powerhouses."

"Although initially sharing a similar visual language, Clarke and Chadwick’s styles diverged as their careers progressed. Clarke enjoyed many public and ecclesiastical commissions, which stemmed from his work in Coventry Cathedral under Sir Basil Spence. In contrast Chadwick seldom accepted public commissions, and one of the highlights of the exhibition are the maquettes for two of Chadwick’s rare commissions Maquette for R34 1957 and Manchester Sun 1963. Further highlights include both Clarke and Chadwick’s entries to The Unknown Political Prisoner, a worldwide sculpture competition organised by the Institute of Contemporary Arts. Although the competition was won by Reg Butler, both artist’s entries have not been exhibited together since 1953. The exhibition also includes the candlesticks commissioned from Clarke for Coventry Cathedral and a monumental Chadwick has been installed by the canalside at Kings Place."

Second, Piano Nobile is "presenting a collection of paintings, sculpture and stained glass by contemporary artist Greg Tricker, Revelation ~ Sacred Art, Sacred Music explores moments of divine manifestation and the power of visionary illuminations. A series of inspirational figures upon whom Tricker works in cyclical series, such as Maria, Mother of God, John the Divine, St Francis of Assisi, Joan of Arc and Anne Frank, draw us into intimate contemplation, these iconic images become beacons of light and hope.

Tricker's profound and sincere style of work is deeply entwined with the sacred artistic tradition, for which the artist has gained international recognition. Recent series of work have been exhibited at Westminster Cathedral, Gloucester Cathedral, Peterborough Cathedral, Salisbury Cathedral and, most recently, Rhiems Cathedral in 2013.

Revelation ~ Sacred Art, Sacred Music runs in conjunction with a series of performances of John Tavener’s compositions as part of the Minimalism Unwrapped musical programme. Like Tricker, Tavener turned to sacred iconic imagery, believing that when an iconic image is seen with the ‘eye of the heart’ rather than the intellect the icon can speak to something deep within us. His compositions in music could at times be seen as creating an icon through sound.

Tricker and Tavener have both been repeatedly drawn to the presence of the eternal feminine. For Tavener, the Mother of God, the inspiration for such masterpieces as The Protecting Veil, is the ultimate representation of the eternal feminine: nurturing, gentle, noble, generous and divinely beautiful. In Tricker’s work, the eternal feminine is revealed through a legacy of reverent and spiritual women; Maria, Bernadette of Lourdes, St Bride, Joan of Arc and Anne Frank embody for Tricker the pure essence of the eternal feminine. It is through these devout figures that Tricker sounds a visionary trumpet-call in a world in turmoil, his works are icons of light speaking of the innate dignity within each one of us."

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John Tavener - The Protecting Veil.

Modern British Sculpture

Yesterday I heard The Very Revd. Nicholas Bury, former Dean of Gloucester Cathedral, speak at an event organised by Art & Christianity Enquiry about the Cathedral’s engagement with the visual arts including Crucible, the successful sculpture exhibition organised together with Gallery Pangolin and held in the autumn of last year.

Crucible showed over 75 works from 48 artists - a who’s who of contemporary British sculpture - from the "New Bronze Age" sculptors of the 1950s to current household names like Damien Hirst and Antony Gormley. The curator of the exhibition and director of Gallery Pangolin, Rungwe Kingdon, argued that: "Such enormous diversity, such a range of expression, powerfully illustrates the vitality and vibrancy of the sculpture scene." Pangolin Editions was founded in 1985 by Kingdon and Claude Koenig and by working with some of the foremost artists of the late 20th and 21st century, their foundry has grown into the largest sculpture foundry in Britain. Every sculptor they approached responded positively, a testament to the strength of the relationships they have formed. Therefore, most of the works included in Crucible were made in Gloucestershire, by the talented craftsmen working at Pangolin Editions foundry in the Stroud valleys, or by artists from Gloucester Cathedral.
Kingdon aimed to "choose objects that demanded attention, questioned convention and stimulated ideas" believing that sculpture "articulates images and ideas in a primarily emotional way, responses that are felt as much as seen." The sheer diversity of the seventy-eight pieces could be seen both in "their varied form, texture and colour" but also in the emotional responses made to them; "many confound, others delight, some may make us laugh and others even induce melancholy." Late twentieth and early twenty-first century sculpture, Kingdon suggests, "is famously irreverent, bawdy and questioning," but he also believes that the exhibition clearly articulated its "fascination with belief, faith and the potent ideas religion addresses: life, death, pain, pleasure, denial, excess, our interdependence and individuality; the opposites that question the ‘how?’ and ‘why?’ of our existence."

He concluded: "We wanted to find contemporary sculptures that would complement the magnificent setting of Gloucester Cathedral, which is a great work of art in itself ... The result is a tremendous endorsement of the sculptural richness of our age and a fitting tribute to the medieval period, justifiably known as the ‘great age of sculpture’ in British history."

Like Crucible, the Modern British Sculpture exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts, which I saw today, is primarily relationally based, in this case showing how, for over 100 years, London and its museums have had a powerful appeal for sculptors, and how the Royal Academy itself has played a significant and controversial role in shaping modern British sculpture. To highlight the extent of the Royal Academy’s influence, the exhibition features sculptures by three of its former presidents – Frederic Leighton, Charles Wheeler and Phillip King.

However, unlike Crucible, which focused on the emotive nature of sculpture’s engagement with ultimate themes, the RA’s survey is chronological and focuses on the dialogue that British Sculpture has had within a broader international context, highlighting the ways in which Britain’s links with its Empire, continental Europe and the United States have helped shape an art that at its best is truly international in scope and significance. A series of visual juxtapositions are intended to challenge the viewer to make new connections and break the mould of old conceptions. So, for example, a series of significant loans from the British Museum and the V&A are shown alongside modern British sculptures from the period 1910-1930 to highlight the inquisitiveness of British artists when the Empire was at its peak and London was, almost literally, the centre of the world. The visitor is invited to make comparisons between these pieces and consider the dramatic effect that non-western techniques, iconography and cultural sensibility had on the development of British sculpture at the beginning of the twentieth century.

The extent to which both exhibitions have been formed through the relationships that each institution has fostered means that neither exhibition can be definitive in their treatment of the subject. The argument underpinning the selection and display of work in the RA’s show means that the works are viewed within a narrative of dialogue while at Crucible the works themselves were in dialogue with the architecture, functions and meaning of the building.

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Bruce Cockburn - Pacing The Cage.