William Turnbull showed a fascination for ancient figures, antique weapons, tools and other archaeological findings from an early point on. Irrespective of the prevailing contemporary tendencies and the artistic conceptions of his fellow artists like Henry Moore, Turnbull created sculptures characterized by clear and straightforward forms and a drastic frontality. The art world had difficulties ascribing his art to a certain group or tendency, as his works are documents of a remarkable ambiguity – they emanate modernity but also contain references from past eras of art history, they have both a certain figurative, naturalistic symbolism and celebrate abstraction.
Turnbull worked on the first sculptures that resemble totem poles as early as in the 1950s. Over the course of his career he made them subject to an increasing degree of abstraction and posed the question: "How little will suggest a head?" (quote from: ex. cat. W. Turnbull. Sculpture and Paintings, Serpentine Gallery, London 1995, p. 10) thus expressing his quest for a highest possible distance from naturalistic depiction. Turnbull strives for an art that can do without any figurative references: "Once you are away from a naturalistic image you have so much more ability to put things where you want them, instead of working anatomically. You can deal with the relation between the work as a shape and as a thing, which you can't do in the naturalistic style, at least I can't." (W. Turnbull in an interview with prof. lord Colin Renfrew, quote after: William Turnbull. Sculpture and Paintings, Waddington Galleries, London 1998, p. 12).
Strong frontality is one of the characteristic features of Turnbull’s oeuvre, and becomes particularly obvious in the narrow "Female Figure" offered her. Its full presence unfolds through the observation of her front and reverse side. Through this principle of frontal representation Turnbull’s works reference old Egyptian or ancient Greek sculptures, which also do without an element of movement and an accompanying three-dimensionality. In many his works the artist points to the human body, and that is not just through the titles of his works. Many of them show subtle and unobtrusive markings that can be understood as decorations at first sight while they reveal their actual meaning only after a more intense observation.This work offered here is also strewn with geometrical formations and sparingly applied line structures. Turnbull calls the work "Female Figure", thus the markings, the sparingly and consciously placed triangles, circles and lines and their elegant simplicity can be understood as indications of female anatomy. An upside down triangle in the sculpture’s lower half symbolizes the female womb while a small circle in the sculpture’s center hints at a navel, several horizontal lines mark the ribs and a simple, vertical line serves as nose. Turnbull reduces the naturalistic elements to an absolute minimum and at the same time intensifies their effect.
The artist executes the patination himself in the foundry – on many occasions he experiments with surface patinations in different colors. This direct treatment of the surface gives every cast a different patina, so that no two sculptures are alike. A vibrant coloring that changes from warm shades of brown to green and grayish shades brings the the surface structure of the face - and timeless bronze figures to life. Our "Female Figure" basically is so fascinating for three important elements: its special surface structure, the characteristic patination and the subtle and symbolic sign formations.
Over the past couple of years the works by William Turnbull have experienced a rediscovery. In 2007 the London Waddington Gallery honored him with a grand retrospective exhibition. Impressive solo shows at Yorkshire Sculpture Park (2005/06), Tate Britain in London (2006) and at Chatsworth House followed. A little while ago the British Guardian called Turnbull "a giant of 20th-century sculpture" (S. Jeffries, William Turnbull. Punk in the Genes, www.theguardian.com, 2013). After not a single work from Turnbull had been offered on the German auction market over the past 15 years, we are particularly proud to offer even two works by the great Scottish artists in our upcoming auction. [CH]