Lynn Chadwick R.A.

(British, 1914-2003)

Winged Figures 61.5 cm. (24 1/4 in.) high

Footnotes

Provenance
The Artist, thence by family descent

Exhibited
Caracas, Galeria Freites, September 1981 (another cast)

Literature
Dennis Farr & Éva Chadwick, Lynn Chadwick, Sculptor, With a Complete Illustrated Catalogue 1947-1996, Lypiatt Studio, Stroud, 1997, p.306, cat.no.737S
Dennis Farr & Éva Chadwick, Lynn Chadwick, Sculptor, With a Complete Illustrated Catalogue 1947-2005, Lund Humphries, Aldershot, 2006, p.314 cat.no.737S
Dennis Farr & Éva Chadwick, Lynn Chadwick Sculptor, With a Complete Illustrated Catalogue 1947-2003, Lund Humphries, Farnham, 2014, p.321, cat.no.737S

The artist's formative years were spent as a draughtsman working with several architectural firms in London and later as a pilot in the Second World War. The influence of both these ventures is clear in Winged Figures, from the angularity of the figures with strong line used to delineate clothing to the projecting flat plains, would-be arms that have stretched into wings ready for flight.

Esteemed critic Herbert Read said of Chadwick's work "'He is preoccupied with states of attention or alertness... his aim is to incorporate a moment of maximum intensity..." and certainly here, there is a palpable tension and sense of dynamism as the couple's courtship plays out. Each figure stands as proud as the other, confident in their self-contained energy and with a sure stance and steady gaze that is tangible in 360 degrees.

The origins of the present work can be traced back to pivotal pieces such as Conjunction (1953, Tate, London), one of Chadwick's first sculptures of the human couple. Even then, in that first early exploration, the two forms were joined very literally at the hip and faced one another, caught in a sensual dance. In Conjunction though, the figures are still hybrid – part reptile, part bird, part insect – in Winged Figures however, the couple have developed into a fully formed male and female, the former with a larger head, the latter with breasts, both distinctly human.

We are grateful to the Artist's Estate for their assistance in cataloguing this lot.