Malcolm Franklin
Rock Paper Wood
Rock Paper Wood Malcolm Franklin
Eames Fine Art Gallery 15th April - 10th May 2015
Gallery 58 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3UD T +44 (0)20 7407 1025 Studio Ground Floor, 54-58 Tanner Street, London SE1 3PH T +44 (0)20 7407 6561 info@eamesfineart.com www.eamesfineart.com
Photographs Alberta Bamonte Photograph on page 25 Gianni Rusconi Design Luisa Rama
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Cover EMBRACE 2008, Collage, stone dust and ash on paper, 320 x 380 mm (detail)
GIRDLE 2014, Great Tew ironstone and steel, 31.5 x 19.5 x 4.5 cm
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SEGMENT 2013, Derbyshire fossil limestone, 36.5 x 23 x 6-2 cm
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OFFSET CURVE 2014, prun di Verona, 40 x 18 x 11.5 cm
SELF 25 2007, stone dust and ash on paper, 280 x 380 mm
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The sculptor and his materials Malcolm Franklin’s sculptures are primarily informed by his method of direct carving. Like Chillida, Brancusi and Hepworth before him, he starts with a block that must be mastered in order to express his concept, to let in the light. Such domination would suggest discord rather than harmony with the stone or wood but in fact Franklin possess an exceptional affinity with his materials, following their veins and disfigurations, allowing them to influence his design – up to a point. In The Problem of Form in Painting and Sculpture the 19th century sculptor Adolf von Hildebrand describes the method of direct carving as something that ‘strengthens and gives life to the idea’. Through the struggle with the materials the concept is reinforced and developed until a solution is found. Franklin translates this into his removal of stone, creating negative space where once there was block. The original form, carved from nature, becomes something strikingly abstract that, far from being its complement, is only thrown into relief by the landscape. By removing it from its source, meticulously shaping and smoothing it to his will, he transforms the block into a concept that it could never have taken on without the sculptor’s tools. Take Esperia, one of Franklin’s largest pieces, that began as a single 300 kg block of pietra d’Istria and was reduced, by way of direct carving, to a mere 80 kg, composed mostly of light rather than stone, recalling the rose windows of gothic cathedrals like Chartres or Saint Denis.
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MORRIS 2010-15, holly and stone, 61.5 x 41 x 33 cm
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Then there is Moche, a series of prints made with the dust from the carving. Here the reverse happens and something is made from nothing. Mixed together like pigment, the dust is spread across the plate to form a ground for dynamic lines. Subdued and flattened, this impermanent material is fixed by Franklin; once again he is imposing his will on the original nature of the material. More recently these ideas developed into the Hesper series of carving and prints where Franklin’s characteristic boxes are joined up to form an angular circle, a dynamic exploration of negative space and a daring challenge to the fragility of the stone. Franklin’s last work, Morris, has gone even further from the original block – in this case a section of spalted holly – and now resembles a powerful engine, corresponding with Franklin’s impressions of the countryside where he grew up not as a bucolic idyll but the backdrop of agriculture and industry. Whatever the work, the sensibility to the material is evident. From boxwood and holly to granite and marble, the surface has been manipulated and smoothed to the point where it transcends the original block and becomes a sculpture, as much informed by the process of carving as the artist’s concept. Mimi Howard
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TENEMENT 2012, marble, 90 x 29.5 x 7.5 cm
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SELF Who am I, who Speaks from the dust, Who looks from the clay? Who hears For the mute stone, ‌‌? Kathleen Raine
It is evident that the material which the artist uses in his representation must influence his technical method. It therefore becomes of primary importance to note whether the material favours a method of execution parallel to that of conception. If not, the mechanical work will be striving in other directions than the pictorial conception, and the hindrance thus offered must be overcome, or else the natural conception of the artist will suffer and degenerate. On the other hand when the material is of such a nature that the artist can develop his representation directly in accordance with the requirements of his conception, i. e. when the material conditions correspond to those attending the growth of the conception, then the technical procedure will be making directly for a unitary conception. The very process then strengthens and gives life to the idea, and, as a mere matter of course, the elementary artistic problems become immediately apparent. Such a salutary process is afforded by direct cutting in stone. 10
Adolf von Hildebrand, The Problem of Form in Painting and Sculpture, 1893
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TAUTOLOGY 1 2015, lithograph in 5 colours, 380 x 250 mm
TAUTOLOGY 2 2015, lithograph in 5 colours, 380 x 250 mm
TRAVERSE 2013, limestone and granite, 97 x 32.5 x 33 cm
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Malcolm Franklin Printmaker Malcolm first came to learn how to make lithographs with me at Oaks Editions Lithography Studio in 2002. He had previously spent some time exploring printmaking in Cyprus in the studio of Hambis Tsangaris who had recommended that lithography would suit him because of its inherent drawing qualities. Drawing was already an established part of Malcolm’s practice as a sculptor. While some drawings are clearly visualisations of possible sculptures, others can be seen as independent images in their own right. Frequently, these drawings are made with material connected with his sculptural activity stone dust and ash mixed with wood glue – combined with ink and collage techniques to create images that exist in the shallow space of a sheet of paper. Lithography is a planographic printing process using greasy crayons and drawing inks, with an obvious appeal to painters. One would expect a sculptor to make etchings or woodcuts, grappling with cutting tools and a more physical printing surface. Malcolm does work in linocut, but these are pre-planned and cut exactly. The attraction of lithography for him is its closer link to drawing and his interest in process and material. It is more fluid and allows for a more evolutionary development. Sketchbook drawing for Shifting Embrace in coffee, ink and ash, 2008, 206 x 121 mm
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As might be expected of an artist starting out in an unfamiliar medium, Malcolm approached lithography initially by drawing somewhat illustrational images of sculptures. He soon realised, however, the potential to engage with the process in an equivalent of the way that he likes to handle the materials of sculpture. Manière noire, a reduction technique of drawing on the stone, offers him a great affinity with carving. This usually involves working from a solid, flat, darkened background back to light, but in Malcolm’s case he prefers to lay down liquid drawing material and let it influence the image.
SHIFTING EMBRACE 1 2008, lithograph, 500 x 365 mm
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When carving he will often allow the shape of the stone or wood to suggest the form of the sculpture. Similarly, the organic patterning of painted lithographic washes can inform the development of his prints. The most positively drawn elements of his lithographs are the characteristic black bars, usually added with litho crayon near the end of the process. Accident and intention have to be kept in balance throughout. Allowing for the uncertainties of how washes will dry or whether etches will work as intended, he has to have a good idea of the image he has in mind from the outset. He carefully builds up an image with several layers of colour, aiming to achieve visual depth in two dimensions. Colour is generally restrained, mostly earthy, in keeping with his familiar stone and wood. Where it is bolder, he likes to use orange and turquoise, which create greys when printed together in layers, and separately inject a lively accent while alluding to rust and copper verdigris. Hambis Tsangaris gave wise advice. The connections between Malcolm’s sculpture and printmaking are now firmly established, with room for more. Soon we may see him not only printing from stone but printing with stone dust. Lithography has become a second home for Malcolm’s creative imagination. Simon Burder
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MOCHE No. 3 and 5 2006, stone dust, soil and ash on canvas, 455 x 612 mm
MOCHE No. 2 2004, lithograph, 530 x 375 mm
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INSOMNIA 1 2012, lithograph 200 x 145 mm
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INSOMNIA 2 2012, lithograph 200 x 145 mm
INSOMNIA 3 2013, lithograph 200 x 145 mm
INSOMNIA 4 2014, lithograph 200 x 145 mm
INSOMNIA 5 2014, lithograph 200 x 145 mm
INSOMNIA 6 2014, lithograph 200 x 145 mm
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INSOMNIA WALNUT 2013-14, Italian walnut and stone, 100 x 17 x 35 cm
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INSOMNIA 7 2014, collage on canvas 600 x 300 mm
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INSOMNIA 8 2014, collage on canvas 600 x 300 mm
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PHOSPHORUS 2010, oak 51 x 57 x 12 cm
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EOSPHORUS 2012, oak 52 x 50.5 x 10 cm
ESPERIA 2011-13, pietra d’Istria 79 x 73 x 15 cm
HESPER 10 2014, linocut, 295 x 295 mm
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Left HESPER 1, 2014, linocut, 295 x 294 mm HESPER 2, 2015, linocut, 287 x 285 mm HESPER 3, 2014, linocut, 296 x 292 mm HESPER 4, 2010, linocut, 295 x 292 mm HESPER 5, 2012, linocut, 295 x 290 mm HESPER 6, 2014, linocut, 292 x 294 mm HESPER 7, 2015, linocut, 295 x 280 mm HESPER 8, 2010, linocut, 295 x 292 mm HESPER 9, 2013, linocut, 294 x 287 mm
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Malcolm Franklin RBSA 1960 1990-1993 1993-1995 2010-14 2011
born Gloucestershire University of Wolverhampton - BA (Hons) Fine Art Wimbledon School of Art - MA Site-Specific Sculpture Trustee of Free Painters and Sculptors Society (FPS) Elected Member of Royal Birmingham Society of Artists
Permanent collections Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Egypt British Museum, London Royal Birmingham Society of Artists Split Graphic, Croatia University of Wales Art Collection Recent Exhibitions
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2015
Rock Paper Wood, solo exhibition, Eames Fine Art Royal Society of British Artists, Annual Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London
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Birmingham and Beyond 2014, RBSA Gallery, Birmingham Print Biennale, RBSA Gallery, Birmingham Annual Prize Exhibition, RBSA Gallery, Birmingham Missing Narrative, Menier Gallery, London, FPS Group Exhibition 20/21 International Art Fair, Royal College of Art, Eames Fine Art London Original Print Fair, Royal Academy, Eames Fine Art Royal Society of British Artists, Annual Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London London Art Fair, Business Design Centre, Eames Fine Art
2013 Without Boundaries, Menier Gallery, FPS Group Exhibition Our Collection, Our Archive and You, RBSA Gallery, Birmingham 20/21 British Art Fair, Royal College of Art, Eames Fine Art 12th Lessedra World Mini Print Annual, Sophia, Bulgaria Malcolm Franklin: Hesper, Laboratorio 2 International, Udine, Italy Malcolm Franklin: Collectors Evening: Fine Art Partnership 20/21 International Art Fair, Royal College of Art, Fine Art Partnership Works on Paper, FPS Group Exhibition, Espacio Gallery, London Impress 13, Stroud, Gloucestershire
London Original Print Fair, Royal Academy, Fine Art Partnership The London Art Fair, Business Design Centre, Fine Art Partnership 2012 Then and Now, FPS Group Exhibition, Royal Opera Arcade Gallery, London, Members and Associates Autumn Exhibition, RBSA Gallery Multiplied, Christies, London, Fine Art Partnership John Scott Martin & Malcolm Franklin, The Old Rectory, Preston Bagot 20/21 British Art Fair, September Royal College of Art, Fine Art Partnership 2nd International Print Biennial, Fushun City, China 7th International Graphic Triennial, Bitola, Macedonia Print Biennale, RBSA Gallery, Birmingham 11th Lessedra World Mini Print Annual, Sophia, Bulgaria 32nd Mini Print International of Cadaques, Spain Annual Prize Exhibition, RBSA Gallery, Birmingham London Original Print Fair, Royal Academy, Fine Art Partnership 20/21 British Art Fair, March, Royal College of Art, Fine Art Partnership The London Art Fair, Business Design Centre, Fine Art Partnership 2011 Conflict and Resolution, FPS Group Exhibition, La Galleria, London V Split Graphic, International Print Biennial, Croatia Malcolm Franklin Scultore, 2002-11, Gallery Nuovo Spazio, Udine, Italy 10th Lessedra World Mini Print Annual, Sophia, Bulgaria Candidates Exhibition, RBSA Gallery, Birmingham Royal Society of British Artists Annual Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London
2009 Bibliotheca Alexandrina International Biennial for Miniature Graphics, Egypt Discerning Eye, Mall Galleries, London Members and Associates Autumn Exhibition, RBSA Gallery, Birmingham Sculpture Show, St Pancras Crypt Gallery, London, FPS Group Exhibition Annual Prize Exhibition, RBSA Gallery, Birmingham 8th Lessedra World Art Mini Print Annual, Sophia, Bulgaria Candidates Exhibition, RBSA Gallery, Birmingham Spring Open, RBSA Gallery, Birmingham 1st International Print Biennial, Fushun City, China Impress 09 National Print Festival, Stroud, Gloucestershire 2008 Print Prize Exhibition, RBSA Gallery, Birmingham Annual Prize Exhibition, RBSA Gallery, Birmingham 7th Lessedra World Art Mini Print Annual, Sophia, Bulgaria Spring Open, RBSA Gallery, Birmingham Stone Plate Grease Water, International Contemporary Lithography Exhibition, Cymbran, Wales 2007
Discerning Eye, Mall Galleries, London Stone Plate Grease Water, International Contemporary Lithography, Museum of Modern Art, Wales, Bankside Gallery, London, Naughton Gallery, University of Belfast Nina Hosali Prize Winners Exhibition, Bankside Gallery, London
2010 Members and Associates Autumn Exhibition, RBSA Gallery, Birmingham Print Biennale, RBSA Gallery, Birmingham 9th Lessedra World Art Mini Print Annual, Sophia, Bulgaria 30th Mini Print International of Cadaques, Spain 10 Years at St Paul’s, RBSA Gallery, Birmingham Spring Open, RBSA Gallery, Birmingham
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MORRIS 2010 - 15, holly and stone, 61.5 x 41 x 33 cm