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Lot Essay
Gendrd I / Gendrd II, 1994, is one of Flanagan’s most playful and endearing works. Here he whimsically depicts a pair of his iconic Nijinski hares prancing upon the heads of two stoic elephants, who patiently endure their mischievous escapades. Although designed as a pair, to face one another, they are not completely symmetrical and each animal has its own distinct character and identity. As always there is an element of the precarious in Flanagan’s works, as seen here, with the Nijinski hares balancing daringly on one paw, while the elephants, large and solid in form, teeter perilously upon small bell-like bases, their feet threatening to slip off at any point. In Gendrd I / Gendrd II there is a playful collocation of weight and form, with the artist juxtaposing the agile and light hares with the weighty elephants underneath. This equilibrium is also felt in the movement of the present work, with the artist presenting his Nijinski hares mid-dance, whereas his elephants, with their front legs raised, look as if they will step forward at any point.
Conceived in 1994, Gendrd I / Gendrd II comes from a period of great productivity for the artist. Having represented Britain at the Venice Biennale in 1982, Flanagan was enjoying international acclaim with solo exhibitions throughout Europe, New York and Tokyo, as well as a major retrospective exhibition of his work at the Fundacion 'La Caixa' Madrid in 1993, which later toured to the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Nantes, in 1994.
In 1979, Flanagan’s sculptures moved away from the conceptual ‘soft-forms’ of the 1960s and 1970s and took a different direction towards bronze casting and modelling. Flanagan now looked to more figurative themes, finding inspiration in the forms of animals, from elephants, horses, dogs and of course the hare, which remains his most constant and iconic motif. Growing up in the picturesque countryside of the Sussex Downs and a member of the Royal Zoological Society, Flanagan always felt an affinity with animals, which can be seen in the present work.
Although his figurative work can be seen to align itself with more academic sculptural traditions, his individual style of manipulating the surface was far from conformist. Opting for expression instead of representation, the rough texture of his forms, seen here most prominently in his Nijinski hares, reveals the artist’s modelling method, in which he built up slabs of clay to suggest form with minimal refinement. The outcome after casting is the luscious rippling effect of the uneven bronze surface, creating an illusion of the hare’s perpetually morphing presence from shifting angles or changing illumination. Flanagan believed bronze was best suited to his vision, as the dark, undulating surfaces reflect what he referred to as the “bloom and drama” of his work; the linear predisposition of his lean and sinewy subjects providing a kinetic tension that animates his sculpture with exuberant vivacity. This is supported by Michael Compton who comments, ‘Flanagan’s hares are quite slim. They are made of thin rolls of clay like those of the coil pots, singly or in parallel, barely covering the armature. The figure is so slight that its pose and animated gestures have to be present in the armature … Indeed these bronzes have all the speed and freedom of drawing as well as the curiosity and playfulness of the hare itself’ (M. Compton, ‘A Developing Practice’, in exhibition catalogue, Barry Flanagan Sculpture, London, British Council, Whitechapel Art Gallery, 1983, p. 27).
Images of animals remained a constant source of artistic inspiration for Flanagan from 1979 onwards, until the very end of his celebrated career in 2009. He was not only fascinated by the mystery and rich symbolism that surrounded animals, in particular hares, but also by their anthropomorphic potential. In his notebook sketches, Flanagan experimented with the idea of transferring human qualities onto animals and he brought this idea to life with his striking bronze sculptures. His bronze animals, most commonly his hares, frequently engage in human activities: they dance, they use computers, they play sports and musical instruments, and here they play upon elephants. Barry Flanagan explained, ‘The human figure is dominated by the head, and getting away from portraiture, indulging in figurative work – the horse, the hare, the elephant – are all one remove from the dominance of the portrait of the human figure. Of course, the “portrait” is really rather more abstract than the physical form can acquire. I avoid the issue of making a sculptural representation of the portrait’ (B. Flanagan in an interview with A. Dannatt, The Art Newspaper, 1 March 2004).
We are very grateful to the Barry Flanagan Estate for their assistance in preparing this catalogue entry.
Conceived in 1994, Gendrd I / Gendrd II comes from a period of great productivity for the artist. Having represented Britain at the Venice Biennale in 1982, Flanagan was enjoying international acclaim with solo exhibitions throughout Europe, New York and Tokyo, as well as a major retrospective exhibition of his work at the Fundacion 'La Caixa' Madrid in 1993, which later toured to the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Nantes, in 1994.
In 1979, Flanagan’s sculptures moved away from the conceptual ‘soft-forms’ of the 1960s and 1970s and took a different direction towards bronze casting and modelling. Flanagan now looked to more figurative themes, finding inspiration in the forms of animals, from elephants, horses, dogs and of course the hare, which remains his most constant and iconic motif. Growing up in the picturesque countryside of the Sussex Downs and a member of the Royal Zoological Society, Flanagan always felt an affinity with animals, which can be seen in the present work.
Although his figurative work can be seen to align itself with more academic sculptural traditions, his individual style of manipulating the surface was far from conformist. Opting for expression instead of representation, the rough texture of his forms, seen here most prominently in his Nijinski hares, reveals the artist’s modelling method, in which he built up slabs of clay to suggest form with minimal refinement. The outcome after casting is the luscious rippling effect of the uneven bronze surface, creating an illusion of the hare’s perpetually morphing presence from shifting angles or changing illumination. Flanagan believed bronze was best suited to his vision, as the dark, undulating surfaces reflect what he referred to as the “bloom and drama” of his work; the linear predisposition of his lean and sinewy subjects providing a kinetic tension that animates his sculpture with exuberant vivacity. This is supported by Michael Compton who comments, ‘Flanagan’s hares are quite slim. They are made of thin rolls of clay like those of the coil pots, singly or in parallel, barely covering the armature. The figure is so slight that its pose and animated gestures have to be present in the armature … Indeed these bronzes have all the speed and freedom of drawing as well as the curiosity and playfulness of the hare itself’ (M. Compton, ‘A Developing Practice’, in exhibition catalogue, Barry Flanagan Sculpture, London, British Council, Whitechapel Art Gallery, 1983, p. 27).
Images of animals remained a constant source of artistic inspiration for Flanagan from 1979 onwards, until the very end of his celebrated career in 2009. He was not only fascinated by the mystery and rich symbolism that surrounded animals, in particular hares, but also by their anthropomorphic potential. In his notebook sketches, Flanagan experimented with the idea of transferring human qualities onto animals and he brought this idea to life with his striking bronze sculptures. His bronze animals, most commonly his hares, frequently engage in human activities: they dance, they use computers, they play sports and musical instruments, and here they play upon elephants. Barry Flanagan explained, ‘The human figure is dominated by the head, and getting away from portraiture, indulging in figurative work – the horse, the hare, the elephant – are all one remove from the dominance of the portrait of the human figure. Of course, the “portrait” is really rather more abstract than the physical form can acquire. I avoid the issue of making a sculptural representation of the portrait’ (B. Flanagan in an interview with A. Dannatt, The Art Newspaper, 1 March 2004).
We are very grateful to the Barry Flanagan Estate for their assistance in preparing this catalogue entry.