PHILIP SUTTON RA Woodcuts 1962-1976

 

In 2005 the Art Gallery and Museum held an exhibition about the woodcuts of PHILIP SUTTON RA from 1962-1976

 

FLAG sponsored this exhibition preview evening and then in 2007 donated towards the purchase of MAGNIFICENT. Flag were asked and agreed to this because of his strong association with Leamington Spa

 

The gallery are now doing a Friday Focus talk on Philip Sutton and the work that's held in their collection. It's on 28th March from 1 to 1.30ish. They say:

 

"Join the gallery team as they examine the work of Philip Sutton that is held in our collection. As well as ‘Magnificent’ (currently on display in the Art Gallery and originally part funded by Friends of Leamington Gallery (FLAG)), we also hold a self-portrait of Philip Sutton. Find out about this amazing artist and his wonderful work."

Here's a bit of history from the RA website: 

"Philip Sutton studied under William Coldstream at the Slade School of Fine Art, London from 1948 to 1953. He won the Summer Composition Prize and travelled to Spain, France and Italy on scholarships before returning to teach at the Slade School of Fine Art from 1954 to 1963.

Sutton’s first solo show was held at Roland, Browse and Delbanco in 1956, the year he was elected a Member of the London Group. This was followed by many solo exhibitions throughout the UK, including the Geffrye Museum, London (1959), Retrospective at Leeds City Art Gallery (1960), exhibitions in Newcastle, Bradford and Edinburgh in (1961) and at the Graves Art Gallery, Sheffield (1971). In 1977 the BBC Arena Programme made a film about his work and a retrospective exhibition of his work was held at the Royal Academy of Arts, London. His first exhibition in Paris was held at Galerie Joel Salaun in 1988.

Sutton has travelled extensively in order to paint. In 1963 he went to Australia and Fiji, returning the following year with a large exhibition of tropical landscapes. In 1980 he returned to Australia to paint for four months, resulting in an exhibition of large paintings of the Great Barrier Reef which were exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1982. He has also painted in Cornwall, Ireland and Crete.

Sutton has received several commissions, including the design for two tapestries at West Dean College in 1984 and 1986, a London Transport Soho Poster, and a set of new stamps for the Post Office in 1987. In 1986 he became involved in painting ceramics and was commissioned by Pentagram to paint a wall of tiles at the Art Tile Factory, Stoke-on-Trent. An exhibition of his painted ceramics was held at Odette Gilbert Gallery, London in 1987. In 1995 he began work on a series of paintings on William Shakespeare which continued for three years. Sutton was elected a Royal Academician in 1988 and lives and works in Pembrokeshire, Wales"

Date:2005

Description:

Philip Sutton (1928 - )

Magnificent! 2005

Oil on canvas

Purchased with support from The Art Fund, MLA/V&A Purchase Grant Fund, and the Friends of Leamington Art Gallery 2006

Magnificent! is a brilliantly coloured depiction of a tree which stands at the end of the artist’s garden in Manorbier, Pembrokeshire. Behind the tree, the sea can be seen sparkling through the foliage.

It is a scene Sutton has painted many times, scrutinising the view and observing the shifting light. He stresses that he is not attempting to capture how the tree 'looks', but what it 'feels' like. He does not attempt to portray a particular instant, but the larger vision of the tree over time. By focusing on a single natural form, Sutton is able to consider the larger questions of how man relates to his environment.

© Philip Sutton