Tuesday 30 March 2010

‘The Mower’ – Hamo Thornycroft

Thornycroft-Mower

Inspired by the sight of a mower swinging his scythe while Thornycroft while out on the canal one summer afternoon, this 19xx bronze was produce from sketches drawn on the spot.

“Exhibited amongst the classical nudes and mythological figures at the Royal Academy, this life sized farmhand was viewed as a radical work of art – which it undoubtedly was.”*

“Whether it is a subject to be treated in sculpture on that scale is another matter…it hardly seems worth the dignity of art,” sniffed The Builder in their June 1884 issue.

The snobbery makes admiration ofits simple mastery all the sweeter.

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