Simon Gudgeon
1
2
Simon Gudgeon
Contents
Introduction
11 Simon Gudgeon
15 Kinetics
22 Abstracts
34
3
— Sculpture is a visual language, it can convey meaning and ideas that cannot be put into words, it should move you and convey its emotional power before you read the story behind it.
—
10
Introduction The concept of kinetic art has been in existence since the time of the ancient Egyptians who made particular use of the lever, the inclined plane, and potentially the log roller to aid in the construction of the Great Pyramids. A radical wave of art in the late 1950s, riding on the back of action-infused Abstract Expressionism, gave way to the reintroduction of kinetics as an art form. Visionaries such as Alexander Calder and George Rickey were largely responsible for the popularity of the movement, which lasted through to the late 1970’s and resulted in iconic works such as Calder’s monumental mobiles and Rickey’s rotating squares. Characteristic of recirculating trends, the 21st century has seen a revival in the interest of kinetic art. The beauty of kinetic sculpture, in particular, continues to captivate
the viewer as during times of change, the random and surprising movements seem to echo the persistent acts of disintegration and recovery. Transitions allows its audience to recognise Gudgeon’s modest departure from his traditional focus. Although elements of the natural world are still highly pronounced, their forms have now been acutely abstracted and many set in motion. Gudgeon is no stranger to artistic contemplation, many of his previous works having been inspired during trips abroad or constant and detailed study of his subjects; but for this inaugural exhibition, his kinetic sculptures allow him to move beyond his past oeuvre, whilst maintaining the intrinsic beauty and grace for which his art is respected and known.
11
Simon Gudgeon on Kinetic Art: All of my sculptures have a common theme: they are explorations in abstraction and form. Expressions of beauty that appeal to the senses. The work must have a vitality and emo tional appeal beyond its façade, an appeal that must remain independent of the object it represents and transcend beyond the layer of pure aesthetics. The sculpture, or the object in its most simple form, is a medium for conveying said vitality and emotion. My fascination with kinetic sculpture began when I first saw the work of Alexander Calder and George Rickey, and in many ways, I feel my kinetic works are a tribute to those great masters of the art. I found the gentle movement of the sculptures mesmerizing and was fascinated by the infinite potential of kinetic art.
Most sculptures are rigid forms; they have a sense of permanence and solidarity. I wanted to move away from this expectation, to transition my sculptures as a literal reminder of the world in which we live – an ever changing, constantly fluctuating space. I believe these changes, these unexpected events, mould our lives and create our future. Unlike most of my previous works, each piece belonging to an edition, the sculptures in the kinetic range are individually fabricated, with each bronze patination mixed separately. Because of this process, each piece is unique, hand-made and assembled in my studio. The singularity of the kinetic production highlights the complexity and exclusivity of each and every moment experienced in life, allud ing to the notion that – nothing is permanent, nothing lasts forever. Simon Gudgeon
12
—
Falling Leaves Bronze and stainless steel 117 x 80 x 14 cm
13
— Beauty delights the senses and the mind, but it is not so much the quality in the object itself as the effect it has on those that see it.
—
14
Simon Gudgeon Born in Yorkshire in 1958, Simon Gudgeon ‘lived deep in the countryside on the family farm, learning the essential arts of observation, evaluation and interpretation of how animals and birds behave, both with each other and man’. After studying law at Reading University, he practiced as a solicitor, starting painting only in his thirties and first exhibiting at London’s Battersea Exhibition Centre in 1992. An impulse purchase of artist’s clay at the age of 40 led into his new career as a sculptor, responding to what lay closest to his heart: the natural world. Since then Gudgeon has attained worldwide recognition, with regular museum exhibitions in America and a number of prominent public placements in London. Important private collections abroad and in the United Kingdom have acquired his sculptures, including those of Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duke of Edinburgh, The Duke of Bedford and The Duke of Northumberland. His work is on permanent display at the Diehl Gallery in Jackson Hole,
Wyoming, at Pallington in Dorset and at Halcyon Gallery, London. Gudgeon sculpts primarily in bronze, marble and granite and occasionally in glass or stainless steel. For the modelling of the form, he uses a number of different materials, depending on the nature and scale of the subject – terracotta clay, oil-based Chavant clay, epoxy resin or foam. He continually experiments with new patinations at the foundry where his works are cast, giving each a unique finish. Working directly from nature and live subjects, he crafts sculptures that share an elemental kinship of identity with all living things. He is particularly known for his sculptures of birds in flight, often with ingeniously engineered bases that seem to launch them into the air rather than anchor them to the ground. Hinting at how the creative process unfolds for him, he explains, ‘Most sculptures don’t start out as a conscious thought, with all the aspects of form and meaning carefully considered. What happens is that an idea enters my 15
mind – be it a shape, a movement or an emotion – and I simply want to convey it. I must convey it! Ideas come from a combination of observations, thoughts, beliefs and the profound experiences of one’s life.’ Always challenged and excited by the extremes and dynamics of nature, Gudgeon is relentlessly innovative in the studio, aiming to ‘move away from the purely representational towards something that has a deeper subtext and, as it expresses... thoughts and emotions, is more satisfying to create’.
—
Isis Hyde Park Bronze 300 x 115 x 110 cm
16
Trips to Africa, Asia and Australasia have enabled Gudgeon to broaden his subject matter and experiment with a variety of styles and methods. His pared-down approach to sculpture embodies the flowing line of the skeleton, turning it into ‘something abstract, taking away more and more information, but ... maintaining the inherent tactile core, so the form is still identifiable’. Using the smallest of details, such as the arching of a neck, he suggests rather than depicts a bird or mammal.
In 2009, Gudgeon’s avian monument Isis was installed in Hyde Park, London, the first such commissioned public placement there for over 50 years. As part of a project that brought together fine arts, ecological and educational concerns, the sculpture enabled Halcyon Gallery, the artist and The Royal Parks Foundation to raise £2.2 million to fund the Isis Education Centre – a new, environmentally friendly resource base with state-of-the-art classrooms, nature trails, a dipping pond, mini allotment and butterfly bank in the heart of the park. In 2011, a 2 metre edition of Isis was presented to Prince Charles and installed at Highgrove Gardens, which surround his private royal residence in Gloucestershire. A further monumental Isis was chosen for the new sculpture trail constructed at America’s National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in July 2012. A second magnificent sculpture by Gudgeon was placed in a prime central London location in October
2011: Search for Enlightenment, unveiled at Millbank by the River Thames as part of the Westminster City of Sculpture Festival. Reflecting the artist’s mystical approach to the immensity of the universe and humanity’s short time on earth, it depicts abstracted profiles of two human heads gazing into the skies. A small edition of the sculpture was presented to His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh at the annual awards dinner at Buckingham Palace in July 2011, on the occasion of his ninetieth birthday, and a second public placement was made in January 2012 outside the luxurious development at One Hyde Park: The Residences at Mandarin Oriental, London. In contrast to these urban settings, Gudgeon’s countryside park – ‘Sculpture by the Lakes’ at Pallington in Dorset – provides a peaceful backdrop for many of his large-scale finished pieces and houses convenient studio workshops. As it evolves, with extensive planting of trees and shrubs, grasses and bulbs, further 17
18
—
Duel II Detail Sculpture by the Lakes
sculptures are set strategically within the landscape, enhancing the surroundings and echoing natural forms. Since 2011, Gudgeon and his wife Monique have opened the venue for al fresco concerts, including classical music in Sculpture by the Stars, a summer jazz weekend and The Art of Music, which celebrated the start of Dorset Arts Week 2012. Gudgeon has exhibited at several illustrious museums in the United States, including the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Wyoming, where he was selected as Featured Artist for the Western Visions exhibition in 2010; San Diego Natural History Museum in California; the Hiram Blauvelt Art Museum in New Jersey; and the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wisconsin. In London, his work was shown in the group exhibitions Seeking New Landscapes and Wild Life and Sporting Life II (both 2011) at Halcyon Gallery as well as at the solo shows Isis (2009), Isis: One Year On (2010) and Search for Enlightenment (2011). In 2012 his
work was put on permanent display at Halcyon Gallery. Plans for 2013 include the major solo exhibition Kinetics. Gudgeon describes this fresh body of sculpture, which he has been working on for some years: ‘At rest, the sculptures are elegant; they are a delicate exploration of the beauty of pure abstraction. Yet the unseen forces of nature can change that order to a series of random and unpredictable movements. Fluctuating air currents will move the elements of the sculptures in an infinite number of erratic ways that appear to defy logic, gravity and the laws of physics. They immerse the viewer as he attempts to impose logic and order on the unpredictable pattern of movement, much as we try and impose order and logic on the random nature of our lives. They reflect the human condition, which is why we relate to them.’1
1. Todd Wilkinson, ‘An interview with UK sculptor Simon Gudgeon: casting of Gudgeon’s Hyde Park monument Isis comes to National Museum of Wildlife Art’, Wildlife Art Journal, spring 2012.
19
20
21
—
Venus (Red) Bronze and stainless steel 44 x 166 x 10 cm
22
23
24
—
Ma’at Wall Mount Detail
—
Ma’at Wall Mount Bronze and stainless steel 220 x 125 x 37 cm
25
—
Fibonacci (Blue) Bronze and stainless steel 148 x 150 x 6 cm
26
27
—
Falling Leaves Bronze and stainless steel 117 x 80 x 14 cm
28
—
Harmony Bronze and stainless steel 187 x 210 x 14 cm
29
—
Disappearing Worlds Bronze 350 x 270 x 30 cm
30
31
32
33
—
Embrace II Bronze and polished bronze 187 x 210 x 14 cm
34
35
36
—
Embrace II Bronze and polished bronze 65 x 50 x 50 cm
37
38
—
Inspire Aluminium 52 x 68 x 28 cm
39
—
Zenith Bronze and polished bronze 45 x 106 x 35 cm
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
—
Isis Bronze with green patina 213 x 76 x 64 cm
47
48
—
Isis (Dali Green) Bronze 100 x 38 x 33 cm
49
—
Isis (Silver) Bronze 60 x 25 x 20 cm
50