Alan Thornhill
Alan Thornhill(1921 – March 4, 2020[1][2]) was a British artist and sculptor whose long association withclaydeveloped from pottery into sculpture. His output includes pottery, small and large scale sculptures, portrait heads, paintings and drawings. His evolved methods of working enabled the dispensing of the sculptural armature to allowimprovisation,whilst his portraiture challengesnotions of normalitythrough rigorous observation.
Biography
[edit]Born in London, he grew up inFittleworth,West Sussex, attendedRadley College,and then in 1939 went toNew Collegeto readModern History.In 1944 he returned to Oxford, having been exempted frommilitary serviceas aconscientious objector.He obtained his degree, and spent a year in Italy based inFlorence,teaching English atPisa University.He then stayed six months inOsloundergoingReichian therapy,from which came the decision to try working with his hands.[citation needed]
In 1949 he was accepted for thepotterycourse atCamberwekkunderDick KendallandNora Braden,followed by a year atFarnhamunderHenry HammondandPaul Barron,before moving in 1951 toEastcombe, Gloucestershire,where Hawkley Pottery was set up. In 1958, frustrated by the repetition involved in making and selling pots, he started to gravitate towards claywork and sculpture through friendship with established sculptorsLynn Chadwickand Jack Greaves. In 1959 he moved to London, having found a property inPutneywhich included a semi-derelict outbuilding that became his studio, which still exists. Latterly he was largely based nearStroud,Gloucestershire.[citation needed]
He first taught claywork atKingston,Barking Regional College,Rush Green College of Further Education and then sculpture atMorley College,London between 1970 and 1987, and at the formerFrink Schoolof Sculpture where he was a founder trustee and with a later teaching role (1995–2001).[citation needed]
He was married to the painterSheila Denning,with whom he set up Hawkley Pottery; the marriage ended in divorce.[3]
Working methods
[edit]Devising his own way of working which dispensed with the traditional sculptor's armature, he began working with random clay elements, constructed of coarse clay with uniform thickness, so that sculpture could develop, be turned and incorporate subconscious impulses in building the work. The assemblage of clay elements was dried and slowly kiln fired, if necessary being cut up to accommodate to the size of kiln and then rejoined after firing. The simple impetus was the desire to produce another sculpture, yet the later resulting large works – part figurative, part abstract, came to echo pre-occupations for him at that time. The process ofimprovisationand avoiding pre-conceived ideas (and in hisportraiture,avoidingnotions of normalitythrough rigorous observation) continues to be taught through some of his own former pupils.[4]His writings include notes about portraiture and the nature of the creative process.[5]
Portraiture
[edit]His portraiture in public collections includes:
- Hugh MacDiarmid(Christopher Murray Grieve) – purchased in 1978 for the Primary Collection of theNational Portrait Galleryin London[6]
- Emanuel Shinwell(Manny, later, Lord) – Bronze head was purchased (accession number S.309) for the Collection of Glasgow City Art Gallery.[7]in 1973.
- A. S. Neill,the renowned educationist ofSummerhill School– Bronze heads are located at theScottish National Portrait Gallery,Edinburgh and theAmerican College of Orgonomy,[8]New York.
- Tom Stoppard– A bronze head is part of Stoppard archive at theHarry Ransom CenteratThe University of Texas at Austin.[9]
- Sydney Gordon Russell– Bronze head is in the collection of theGordon Russell Museum[10]inBroadway, Worcestershire.
- A Self-portrait is in the collection ofNew College, Oxford.
Other eminent figures who have sat for Thornhill includeEnoch Powell,Christabel Bielenberg,Frank Cousins,Richard Rodney Bennett,Michael Cardew,SirColin Davis,Dennis SilkandBasil Bunting.
Public sculpture
[edit]Public works formerly includedBond,[11]purchased by the permanent collection[12]of the Jerwood Foundation at Jerwood Sculpture, Ragley Hall before its closure.
Nine large works now form thePutney Sculpture Trailalong the River Thames atPutneyin the Borough of Wandsworth, formally opened in September 2008. Load has been on Putney Embankment since 1989.[13]
'Summoner' and 'Punch and Judy', two large bronze sculptures, are on permanent display in the Walled Garden of theMuseum in the Park,Stroud, Gloucestershire. In addition, the Museum has other large bronze sculptures in their collection (but not always on display), these are 'Exit', 'Animaversion' and 'Together'. The Museum also holds some charcoal drawings and small terracotta works, such as 'Drowning Woman with Rescuer'.[14]
Biographical film
[edit]A 40-minute documentary, produced by his daughter Anna Thornhill,Spirit in Mass: Journey into Sculpture,[15]was released in 2008 with an award from Screen South and UK Film Council. This was launched in Oxford and subsequently appeared at the Appledore Visual Arts Festival 2008[16]and Chichester International Film Festival.[17]Artist and writer Clare Carswell[18]is interviewed in the film.
Henry Moore Institute Archive
[edit]The bronze sculpture,Walking and Talking[19]and many of the files and papers relating to Thornhill's portraits were acquired in 2007 by theHenry Moore InstituteinLeeds,UK.[20]
References
[edit]- ^Stroud News and Journal, Tributes Paid to Sculptor Alan Thornhill 8.4.20
- ^"Putney's Local Web site".
- ^Forte, Joseph (2 April 2020)."Tributes to sculptor Alan Thornhill from Chalford who has died aged 98".Retrieved31 May2021.
- ^West Dean College'Large Clay Sculptures' August 2008
- ^essay – Thoughts on Creativity – Sculptor Alan Thornhill 2008Archived25 July 2013 at theWayback Machine
- ^National Portrait Gallery bronze head of Hugh MacDiarmid
- ^"Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum".Archived fromthe originalon 7 May 2008.Retrieved13 August2008.
- ^The American College of Orgonomy
- ^"Inventory of Tom Stoppard papers and location of bronze head".Archived fromthe originalon 18 February 2012.Retrieved13 August2008.
- ^"Gordon Russell – Home".Archived fromthe originalon 16 June 2012.Retrieved13 August2008.
- ^Bond – sculpture in Jerwood sculpture Collection, Ragley Hall, UK
- ^Jerwood Sculpture Collection biography of Alan Thornhill
- ^Public Sculpture of South London, T. Cavanagh, Public Monuments and Sculpture Association (2007) Liverpool University Press p.311ISBN978-1-84631-075-1
- ^Museum in the Park, Stroud
- ^Film: Spirit in Mass – Journey into Sculpture (2007)Archived12 May 2008 at theWayback Machine
- ^Appledore Visual Arts Festival 2008 Film schedule
- ^"External Site: Chichester Film Festival".Archived fromthe originalon 18 July 2011.Retrieved17 July2008.
- ^"Clare Carswell – the writing: writings on artists".Archived fromthe originalon 8 July 2011.Retrieved13 August2008.
- ^"Walking and Talking bronze sculpture".Archived fromthe originalon 5 July 2008.Retrieved17 July2008.
- ^Henry Moore FoundationArchived12 January 2009 at theWayback Machine
- authors, various (2008).Responses – Carvings and Claywork: Jon Edgar Sculpture 2003–2008.UK: Hesworth Press.ISBN978-0-9558675-0-7.
- Public Sculpture of South London, T. Cavanagh, Public Monuments and Sculpture Association (2007) Liverpool University Press p. 464ISBN978-1-84631-075-1
External links
[edit]- Web archive of works
- ArtUK public works by Thornhill
- Alan Thornhill Sculpture, Drawing and Painting Exhibition (2012) at the Museum in the Park, Stroud – the museum also holds some of Alan's work
- Essay by Clare Carswell MA (RCA) 2008
- portrait head of Alan Thornhill, 2004 by sculptor Jon Edgar
- Wandsworth Council Sculpture Trail map
- Sculpture Trail leaflet/map download in pdf
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