WILLIAM TURNBULL (1922-2012)

William Turnbull’s exploration of depicting three-dimensionality reflects a departure from the strict formalistic constraints that categorised much of western art in the preceding centuries. He produced artworks in the spirit of archaic forms, looking into the anthropology and archaeology of eras ranging from the Neolithic period to ancient Greece to inform his process. Additionally, the artist travelled to Cambodia, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore to engage in the visual philosophies of non-European cultures. These influences informed Turnbull’s diverse expressions of figures, which are often simplified and do not seek a traditionally representational approach.

The horse, in particular, is a recurring motif in Turnbull’s creative output, and his first artwork on this subject matter was a plaster sculpture which he created while studying at the Slade School of Fine Art in 1946. His representation of the creature in this sculpture is comprised of two main parts; a flat form for the face, and an arched cylindrical feature denoting the neck, which are conjoined by a thin connecting element. Two circular voids make up the animal’s eyes, and lines are etched into the horse’s face to suggest teeth. Turnbull’s emphasis on surface is clear through the complex marks imprinted upon it, affording the form an intense visual agency, and providing evidence of the artist’s intimate physical relationship to the sculpture.