Barry Flanagan (1941-2009)

Executed in 1973-1978, Light Red and Dark Blue are two iconic fabric works by the artist. With other examples recently exhibited at Tate Britain, London in the major retrospective of the artist's work, they draw parallels with the soft sculpture of Robert Morris including his Felt Piece (1967-1968) exhibited at When Attitudes Become Form, ICA, London in 1969. Flanagan was attracted to the possibilities of canvas, thread and cord, installing it in numerous configurations: 'wall-mounting it, stretching or hanging it or leaning it against a wall or in a corner, or balanced with sticks fixed to the floor with plasticine to prevent slipping' (J. Melvin, 'No thing to say', Barry Flanagan: Early Works 1965-1982, exh. cat., Tate Britain, London, 2011, p. 59). In Light Red and Dark Blue it is through the suspension of the large-scale felt works from a wall, confronting the viewer with a condensed blast of brilliant colour. Flanagan accounted for his interest in sculpture and in particular the mediated position of soft canvas sculpture by explaining: 'the convention of painting always bothered me. There always seemed to be a way of painting. With sculpture you always seemed to be working directly, with materials and with the physical world inventing your own organisations' (B. Flanagan quoted in J. Melvin, 'No thing to say', Barry Flanagan: Early Works 1965-1982, exh. cat., Tate Britain, London, 2011, p. 59).