Eric Gill's sculpture is under threat ...

According to the Daily Express ~ "PERVERT’S STATUE GREETS VISITORS" ~

the BBC is under some pressure to remove Eric Gill's statue of Prospero and Ariel from outside Broadcasting House in London.

It has been there for at least 75 years presumably [Gill died in 1940] and 'we' have known since the late 1980s about Gill's sexual proclivities. I ask why the call for it to be removed now. Well we know why don't we. 

Have we entered an age of intolerance where everything must be squeaky clean and be seen to be squeaky clean ?

I don't for a minute approve of paedophilia, incest or bestiality but surely we need to keep things in perspective.

Who else's work do we have to burn or destroy ?

If you wish to see the statue in full, click here ~  http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fil:Prospero_and_Ariel-1.jpg

An unnamed sculpture ... at Chatsworth

Still on the topic of what else I saw at Chatsworth [other than Barry Flanagan's sculptures] I'm moving on to an unusual piece.

 There was no name on it or near it and having done a search in Google I could find out nothing about it. Perhaps I will have to buy the Chatsworth guidebook.

It's a slightly unattractive piece to me almost as though all the meat has been boiled off the head of an ox and then the skull has been rammed on a post ...

It's a strong piece though. Heavy and uncompromising.

It's stuck between two ends of a hedge behind a seat ...



That may well be the best position for it from a Health and Safety aspect, of course.

War Horse ... at Chatsworth

In my last blog about Chatsworth I mentioned there were a number of things that caught my eye whilst I was there, other than Barry Flanagan's sculptures.

One of them was Dame Elisabeth Frink's War Horse. 

It is sited near the restaurant and it can be touched and children can sit on it and have their photograph taken, apparently.

There is more information about the sculpture here ...

  

I rather like it. It's strong and self assured.

Chatsworth ~ Beyond Limits ~ 2012/14 ...

Size matters ! At least when it comes to Barry Flanagan's hares ...

We're down to the penultimate exhibit ~ 'Large Nijinski on Anvil Point' ... 

 

... and I love this ...

I said it was large didn't I ...

 

Here's a question, are these bronze sculptures solid ?

I think they got the positioning of this sculpture right too ~ at the far end of the Canal Pond. At the other end is the house itself ...

 

There this Nijinski Hare stands, balanced on an anvil point ...

 

... dancing ...

 

Excellent.

Chatsworth ~ Beyond Limits ~ 2012/13 ...

A change from the hares ! 

Exhibit No. 13 is Barry Flanagan's 'Bronze Horse' ....

Once again though the 'line that mustn't be crossed' gets in the way and spoils some of the photos ...



Just think how much better the photograph above would have been without the chain and metal pegs.

The horse isn't quite life sized ...



... or even lifelike ...



Even so I rather like this horse ...



You could almost imagine him springing to life.

Chatsworth ~ Beyond Limits ~ 2012/12 ...

'Drummer' is exhibit number 12 in the 'Beyond Limits' exhibition at Chatsworth ...

 

... and with this sculpture a bit more mischief is injected into the exhibition ...



... there's a bit more menace ...



You wouldn't want to mess with this particular hare ...



... would you ?