Visit to Yorkshire Sculpture Park

It was a bitterly cold afternoon in February as we made our way in convoy to Yorkshire Sculpture Park. It was overcast and there was even a slight mist on the ground, so first stop, coffee.

Then in our pairs we set off to find our respective sculptures.

Mine were by Peter Randall-Page, an artist who has gained an international reputation through his sculpture, drawings and prints. He has undertaken many large scale commissions and exhibits in numerous private and public collections throughout the world.

 

He has work exhibited in Japan, South Korea, Australia, USA, Eire, Germany and the Netherlands. Also throughout the UK, including the Tate Gallery and the British Museum.^[1]

And yet here we were in the freezing wind and rain at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

The three sculptures we were asked to look at were ‘Flayed Stone’ II and III sculpted from granite in 1998 and ‘Sum of the Parts’ sculpted from granite in 2001.

To be quite honest I don’t have much of an idea about art, I’m a real Philistine. So when asked to write down how the sculptures made us feel I felt way out of my depth.

‘Sum of the Parts’ seemed like the shell of a turtle and on such a cold day was very cold and rough to the touch. But after studying it for quite a while I started to see and feel something more to the sculpture.

It seemed to have an egg or pod like quality and even though it was cold to the touch it looked warm. It almost felt as though it was protecting a new life with it’s tough exterior, and made me think of new life.

‘Flayed Stone’ II and III were a little larger and carved with continuous lines. Even though they were carved out of granite and rough to the touch, to look at them I felt they would be smooth.

I followed the lines carved into them, but they were never ending, no beginning and no end, as if carved by God himself. It was as if they had been there forever.

I don’t know exactly what feelings the sculptures were meant to provoke, if any, but even with the simplicity of the designs they were so much more than odd shaped lumps of rock, my initial thought.

[1] http://www.peterrandall-page.com/about/intro.html

Word count: 395 

 

 

 

Advertisement