The Exhibition

28 June

SCULPTURE

Kenneth Armitage (born 1916)

Wall, 1965, pewter

h 20.5, w 20.5 cm Presented by Mrs Beryl Bjelke and Mrs Stella Saludes, 1985

Your Comments

The Calendar

 
Kenneth Armitage's Wall of 1965, for which we own one of the models,
was part of his Pandarus series of scuptures, begun in 1962. Armitage
describes Pandarus, a character from Chaucer's Troilus and Cressida,
as a `go-between'. This description reveals much about the tensions
within the sculpture itself - the solidity of the wall and the funnels, like
loudspeakers, protuding from it. Is the wall there to support a form of
communication - to create a dialogue - or is it there as a barrier, so
only one voice can be heard?

At first glance this sculpture is the coldest of cold objects. My first impression was of a gents lavatory - each has his own space and if my experience is anything to go by there is no escaping from a complete stranger starting a conversation at a urinal. A ' go between ' in both senses ? If this provokes a few alternative thoughts to the galleries interpretation of the exibit then its served its purpose. If not it can be used as a cheap laugh for people like myself who find it difficult to look too seriously at modern art.

I have recently been reading Salvador Dali's life and work and found I could relate to and understand his images from the information about his background. Forgive me if I am wrong but the background information about the artists in the online exhibition was limited. I think it would be benefitial for visitors, such as myself, if we had the option of finding out more about the artist behind the work, in addition to the gallery's own interpretation.

Regards David A Kenyon dak@clara.net http://home.clara.net/dak

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