GRAHAM SUTHERLAND, O.M. (BRITISH, 1903-1980)
Articulated Form
signed 'G Sutherland' (upper right)
gouache
40 x 47 cm. (15 3/4 x 18 1/2 in.)
Painted circa 1950

Provenance
With The Redfern Gallery, London
With Austin Desmond, London, 1989, where purchased by the family of the present owner

Exhibited
London, The Redfern Gallery, Summer Exhibition, 1955, cat.no.468
London, Olympia, Graham Sutherland, 25 Feb-2 Mar 2003

“It is not a question so much of a 'tree like a figure' or a 'root like a figure' - it is a question of bringing out the anonymous personality of these things” – Graham Sutherland

Exhibited in The Redfern Gallery’s Summer Exhibition of 1955, Graham Sutherland’s Articulated Form, is just one example of Sutherland’s shift in both subject matter and approach following the post war period. Prior to 1945, Sutherland’s work was defined by a figurative style which explored war themes and existential anxieties; this is unsurprising given both the time and Sutherland’s role as an official war artist during the Second World War. However, post-1945, Sutherland began to explore more abstract and organic forms and had more of a fascination with the human experience. However, the grotesque is inescapably a motif within this work. The grotesque, for Sutherland, was not merely an aesthetic choice—it was a way to engage with the psychological, emotional, and existential crises of the modern world, especially after the trauma of war. His work is often introspective, even claustrophobic, as he seeks to expose the raw, vulnerable underbelly of both the human body and the world at large

Hence, his Articulated Form, is an excellent early example of his captivation with these organics, surreal and uncanny configurations. In this very example, Sutherland’s artistic process reveals itself. The work is one iteration among many of his concepts of articulated forms. Articulated Form, showcases Sutherland’s paradoxical meticulousness and ambiguity; the articulated form is both incredibly careful constructed and considered while also being more broadly symbolic and open to interpretation. In the titling alone, Sutherland commits to many iterations of articulated forms and it is a motif which he consistently revisited. In the present work, Sutherland relies on both intense and rich colours, in addition to earthy tones and forms drawing viewers into a not only a visually striking view but also an emotionally charged metaphysical space.