Shocking art

This morning there arrived through the post the catalogue of a new exhibition offered by the Messums gallery, in Wiltshire. I am generally unfamiliar with sculpture as a discipline, and had certainly never heard the name of the artist featured in it …. Laurence Edwards. I opened the catalogue and burst into tears.

Having passed a good part of the afternoon reading through the catalogue I have recovered somewhat my equilibrium, although suffice it to say that my wife and I have already begun to make plans for a trip to Wiltshire. This is one of those exhibitions that I feel I really must see, and feel that I would always regret it if I allowed the opportunity to pass.

Stated briefly, Edwards works with cast bronze, producing human figures (typically male) rising on occasions to more than life-size. It would be foolish of my to attempt to make any kind of critical judgement on these, having seen only photographs, and dishonest were I to quote the critical essays in the catalogue. I believe, however, that my spontaneous response even to pictures of his originals must carry some critical force. I have no doubt that later editions of this blog will contain my more direct and more considered reflections.

Oddly, this experience has not caused me to retreat from my own work. Quite the contrary: I found myself spending a good part of the afternoon gathering reference material for a piece. Perhaps that is the key. It might have been a different matter had I been attempting to do something original. As it is, however, I am able to feel inspired without feeling intimidated.