Sculptural Rock Formations on the Isle of Man
Date made: 2021
Artist: Sandle, Michael
Description: Sculptural Rock Formations on the Isle of Man. Ink drawing. Signed and dated.
Michael Sandle reflected on his drawing in March 2024:
"I went looking for basking sharks with my very dear friend Graham Hall and his wife Jackie, who were very involved in the basking shark watch…I took lots of photographs of this amazing cliff site…it’s just astonishing, could be in outer space – I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s actually as it is. The thing is I find it fascinating because you look at the photographs and you have to work out what’s caused the shadow. It’s like interpreting during the war, looking at what’s going on from an aerial photograph. So I find it absolutely fascinating….It’s near the drinking dragon, Black Head it’s called. I’d never seen it before – I mean you can only see it from a boat. I’d never been round there before. I was fascinated by it. …I don’t do drawings for sculpture all the time, I do it for, it’s a thing in itself. And it’s a very complete work of its own standing as a drawing based on fantastically interesting landscape. I mean, I’m a conduit, I look at stuff, stuff goes in and you think ‘do it’. It’s what artists do."
Michael Sandle RA studied at the Douglas School of Art from 1951 to 1954. He left the Isle of Man in 1954 serving two years' National Service in the Royal Artillery, during which time he was also able to attend evening classes at Chester College of Art. Sandle later studied printmaking at the Slade School of Fine Art, London for three years followed by a period travelling in Europe. Since the 1960s Sandle has taught in various art schools and universities in Britain, Canada and Germany and from 1980 was the Professor of Sculpture at the Akademie der Bildenden Kunste, Karlsruhe, Germany. He has now retired from teaching and lives in England.
Michael Sandle was elected to the Royal Academy in 1989 but resigned in 1998 (with other Royal Academicians) in protest against the controversial ‘Sensation’ exhibition. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of British Sculptors in 1994 and was re-elected to the Royal Academy in 2004.
Measurements: 148cm x 98cm
Materials: ink on paper
Object name: drawing
Collection: Art Collection
ID number: 2024-0014
Subject tags : #artgalleryplace