Peter Randall-Page

Commissioned by the Jerwood Foundation in 2007

Ragley Hall, Warwickshire (2009 to present).

Generally the work is in good overall condition. The carved surface is intentionally pitted and uneven. There are one or two spots of staining and debris across the surface, which is consistent with exhibiting the piece outdoors. Please telephone the department on +44 207 293 6424 if you have any questions regarding the present lot.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
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'All my work is informed and inspired by close observation of form and pattern in the natural world. The intricacy and perfection of growth patterns on a microscopic level have become an important theme in my recent work. My aim is to evoke something of the complexity of theme and variation we find in nature.' (Peter Randall-Page) 

The title of this monumental carving by Peter Randall-Page comes from the 1934 poem by Dylan Thomas, The Force That Through the Green Fuse Drives the Flower, and thus immediately makes clear one of the prime sources of inspiration for this work, and for the wider body of Randall-Page's sculpture, the elemental power of nature.

Carved from Cornish granite, this towering sculpture seems to burst forth from the ground. As Randall-Page notes, 'The original idea came from thinking about shoots and the incredible power required to force them through the earth...' (the Artist, quoted in Sculptor Unveils a Sister for the Seed, www.thisis cornwall.co.uk, 10th March 2010), which, when taken in the context of Thomas' poem, highlights how it remains both man-made and yet of the ground, both ancient and modern. The skill with which Randall-Page's work draws together a huge range of influences is a major factor in the success of this work. As a carving, we are reminded of the physical work and craftsmanship that creates such a piece, linking the artist back to the revival of interest in carving in the early years of the twentieth century by Eric Gill and Jacob Epstein, on through Moore and Hepworth and via Randall-Page's own early experience working with Barry Flanagan in the late 1970s, as well as emphasising the direct involvement of the artist.

The form of Green Fuse is drawn from nature, and Randall-Page's study of the natural sequences and systems found in all organisms bring to it a unity and logic. Created to sit in a formalised English landscape, Green Fuse responds to that sense of imposed order yet perhaps also gently subverts the artifice of those same notions of landscape by inserting a barely supressed wildness to the place. The combination of nature and artifice inherent in this sculpture can therefore be seen to suggest the viewer questions our understanding of the land itself, the creations of nature and our concept of 'the land,' all within the essential majesty of Thomas' vision. The artist also drew inspiration from Indian temple sculpture, and indeed in exactly the same way the imported forms of obelisks, pagodas or indeed the classical Palladian ideal of the 'country house' landscape were themselves adapted to find a home in the avenues and parkland of Britain whilst never losing the sense of their source, so Green Fuse finds a character akin to the exotic flora and fauna brought back from travels across the globe.

Rather than simply make sculpture that by its scale suits an outdoor setting, Randall-Page has always sought to create works that have a harmony with the landscape, be that the sequestered, leafy paths and streams of the River Teign, formal gardens or woodland. His ability to find a harmonious balance between man and nature through his work seems to link him with others of his generation whose work has embraced such a relationship with nature, such as Richard Long and Andy Goldsworthy. However, by comparison with Randall-Page, their work has a more interventionist, and perhaps transitory, element. Like prehistoric standing stones or a medieval roadside marker, we can find in the sculpture of Peter Randall-Page the eternal qualities of rock, land and time itself.