Page 23 - Studio International - March 1965

The Phenomenon of British Sculpture

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and Turnbull. They carve. to start with. and are inspired image maker he has much in common with Fullard;
by natural shapes. They do not see all of life in the purity both are prepared to commit themselves on current
of a shell or pebble. or the idealised upsurge of mas­ dilemmas. to express opinions. and at the same time
culinity. Nature for them is more complex and their are unwilling to fall back on conventional iconography.
carving and refitting of wooden sections into plant-like Bryan Kneale has made the rare transition from
forms is carried out with ingenuity. Warren Davis is the mediocre painter to original sculptor. He works in metal
simpler and more relaxed. with the grace and poetry of a and the massive. rather stiff forms have some of the
dedicated craftsman.Startup more nervous and enquiring. hieratic impressiveness of Dalwood's work. They lack
Hubert Dalwood and Bryan Kneale are two of our most the playful wit. the light-hearted surface. and sometimes
promising and exciting younger sculptors. Dalwood in appear self-consciously solemn. It may not come as
particular has virtually carved his own niche in the con­ easily to him as to Dalwood or Fullard. but what he
temporary scene. It is romantic but not self-conscious or lacks in spontaneity and brilliance. he makes up in
solemn; keenly aware of the past but not pedantic. determination and craftsmanship. And in the end is
Humour in art is rare and precarious. yet Dalwood rewarded with constructions of real weight and stature.
manages to combine monumental grandeur with a After Moore and Hepworth. the third major figure is
witty use of heraldic decoration. Beneath this playful­ Robert Adams. An artist of integrity and discipline. he is
ness is a bright intellect and an experimental freedom much admired by his fellow artists. His neglect by the
unusual in British art. Perhaps only with so gay a facade Art Establishment is illustrated by the fact that this 57-
can he hope to involve us in more serious matters. As an year-old sculptor is not referred to at all in Sir John

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