Lynn Chadwick
Chadwick is among the most prominent British sculptors to follow the breakthrough era of Henry Moore. Chadwick’s angular, spiky forms and skeletal figures typify the formal language of 1950s expressionistic sculpture, which has an anxiety of spirit that parallels postwar Existentialism.
Chadwick first worked as an architectural draftsman, then served as a pilot in the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Air Force during World War II. His experience with aeronautics and his fascination with the work of Alexander Calder inspired him to make art. Critics have associated his interest in visual thrust, tension and “wing span” with such influences. Chadwick derived his imagery from his exploration of the subconscious, as did so many of his peers at the time.
Chadwick first made his sculptures by working over a welded iron armature with composition stone made of gypsum and iron filings. He then modeled and filed the surfaces, giving his works a characteristic sharp profile, roughly textured skin and bony thinness. Perched on the points of the armatures, his figures appear primal and birdlike, as if hybrids of human, mechanical and animal spirits. He retained many of these formal elements when he began casting works in bronze later in his career, such as Maquette V Winged Figures, 1968.
Chadwick achieved wide acclaim when he was awarded the International Sculpture Prize at the 1956 Venice Biennale, eclipsing Alberto Giacometti, who represented France.
Chadwick first worked as an architectural draftsman, then served as a pilot in the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Air Force during World War II. His experience with aeronautics and his fascination with the work of Alexander Calder inspired him to make art. Critics have associated his interest in visual thrust, tension and “wing span” with such influences. Chadwick derived his imagery from his exploration of the subconscious, as did so many of his peers at the time.
Chadwick first made his sculptures by working over a welded iron armature with composition stone made of gypsum and iron filings. He then modeled and filed the surfaces, giving his works a characteristic sharp profile, roughly textured skin and bony thinness. Perched on the points of the armatures, his figures appear primal and birdlike, as if hybrids of human, mechanical and animal spirits. He retained many of these formal elements when he began casting works in bronze later in his career, such as Maquette V Winged Figures, 1968.
Chadwick achieved wide acclaim when he was awarded the International Sculpture Prize at the 1956 Venice Biennale, eclipsing Alberto Giacometti, who represented France.
(England, 1914 – 2003)
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