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16 Lynn Chadwick CBE RA (1914-2003) Lynn Chadwick is one of the giants of twentieth century sculpture. His work spans fifty years and includes over a thousand pieces. He first came to prominence as one of the eight sculptors to exhibit in the British Pavilion at the 1952 Venice Biennale. Then, one of the twelve semi-finalists for the Unknown Political Prisoner International Sculpture Competition in 1953, he went on to win the International Prize for Sculpture at the 1956 Venice Biennale. Throughout his long and productive career, 'the couple' was a persistent subject to which he returned many times. As in all Chadwick's work, the presence of the piece comes from its particular stance and the relationship between the two figures, as well as his characteristic skill in balancing sculptural concerns of line, mass, weight, geometry and gravity. Sitting Couple on Bench was made by welding a 'space frame' of metal rods. However rather than in-filling this frame with a plaster compound called 'stolit', he became more interested in using smooth flat planes of bronze plate or in this case stainless steel to give subtle undulations of light in a more contemporary and urban visual language. Chadwick left the interpretation of his works to others. He was always a 'figurative' artist and in the 1970's adopted the triangle and square as a shorthand device symbolising female and male. This has its origins early on in Chadwick's oeuvre where the Teddy Boy and Girl sculptures are themselves of square and triangular shape. Rungwe Kingdon, lifelong friend of the artist and creator of the Pangolin Foundry where most of Chadwick's sculptures were cast, recalls: "I once questioned Chadwick for the reasons behind this self-imposed convention of blank geometric faces, his reply was typically enigmatic. "No expression is an expression" although he went on to say that "body language has more power in conveying mood and character than facial features which can be limiting". He preferred to let the figure itself provide its identity and personality, this was a rich vein of inspiration and one that Chadwick explored for several years placing couples in numerous different configurations, reclining, walking, dancing, and as in this sculpture, a seated couple, Egyptian in its serenity evoking the quiet but palpable energy of a pharaonic king and queen. Chadwick's couples have an enduring attraction expressing as they do the most fundamental human unit, reminding us of our most intimate and trusting moments." Sitting Couple on Bench, 1990 Stainless Steel 262 x 303 x 249 cm Courtesy of The Estate of Lynn Chadwick and Gallery Pangolin www.gallery-pangolin.com Chadwick left the interpretation of his works to others. If you had an opportunity to show someone an important aspect of your life, what would you like them to see, who would be sitting on the bench with you?