Aphrodite

Aphrodite exemplifies the fusion of archaism and contemporary abstraction that gives William Turnbull’s work such a timeless and individual aesthetic. Conceived in 1958 when Turnbull had reached critical acclaim, the artist’s previous preoccupation with sculpting the head gave way to a new body of work, consisting of upright totemic forms, often cast in bronze. These works were ‘inspired by archeological and anthropological artifacts, pre-classical forms of art and religious statues. These primitive shapes held a sense of timelessness for Turnbull, rather than nostalgia’ (A.A. Davidson, The Sculpture of William Turnbull, Aldershot, 2005, p. 28). The present lot takes inspiration from a variety of both historical and contemporary references. From the fluting the Ancient Greeks used on their columns, to treasures of the Louvre such as Hera of Samos, the artist’s influences are uniquely eclectic. When interviewed, Turnbull revealed the more current source of inspiration for the balancing form: ‘I remember seeing an image of somewhere in the West Indies where there was a man walking along the beach and he had this long thin coffin balancing on his head. This image, every time I see it, seems to act as a trigger: it excites me, I seem to respond to it’ (W. Turnbull, quoted in exhibition catalogue, William Turnbull Sculpture and Paintings, London, Waddington Galleries, 1998, p. 9).

Aphrodite’s striking composition represents Turnbull’s fascination with the sublime. Unlike contemporary ideas of sculpture, where works slowly revealed themselves when viewed from different angles: ‘Turnbull, like Giacometti, was more concerned with establishing an arresting, frontal image … one which tends to dominate space and radiate out onto it’ (P. Elliot, quoted in D. Sylvester and P. Elliot, William Turnbull: Sculpture and Paintings, published to accompany Bronze Idols and Untitled Paintings, London, Serpentine Gallery, 1995, p. 29). This concept is aligned with antecedent beliefs of the cultural and religious significance of the totem as a sacred object. The idea of removing the plinth and having the sculpture stand directly on the ground, further challenges classic ideas of sculpture, creating a more direct relationship between the work and the viewer.

Although his work is pervaded with imagery and influences from the past, the complex textured surface of Aphrodite demonstrates a very modern approach to sculpture. When considering the working process of the principal figures of modern painting, it is apparent that the application of paint to a canvas gave a more accessible scope for spontaneity than the measured and more deliberate art of sculpture. For Turnbull, the process of manipulating the surface of the wet plaster using corrugated cardboard, allowed him to approach sculpture in the same way, without an established plan but allowing things to happen freely. The element of chance introduced through this method resulted in unpredictable results when the work was cast. Turnbull explained, ‘The surface comes out of the way you are working … It’s not something you add on at the end’ (W. Turnbull, in conversation with C. Renfrew, exhibition catalogue, William Turnbull: Sculpture and Paintings, London, Waddington Galleries, 1998, p. 8). This concept followed Paul Klee’s philosophy that art should allow the subconscious to submerge one’s work facilitating a natural, non-formulaic process.

Turnbull stated, ‘At that time the corrugation served two purposes. First, I was very aware of column lightness: the impression was quite different from as if it were just absolutely solid. The other was that by using bits of cardboard, bits of paper and bits of corrugation, I could stick it on the plaster and pull it away. This was a matter of trying to use, within a conceived structure, an accident happening, so that you had the choice to say: `Yes, I like it, leave it'. It bypassed the stage of just working out of knowledge or will - and instead you were not finding something, finding sculpture, rather than making it. It was all very much in the process’ (W. Turnbull, quoted in exhibition catalogue, William Turnbull: Sculpture and Paintings, London, Waddington Galleries, 1998, p. 9).

The present work was last sold at Christie’s, London, 17 November 2006, lot 172 when it achieved a world record auction price for the artist.