Graham Sutherland, O.M.

Sale, Sotheby's London, 5th April 2000, lot 95
Peter Nahum
Sale, Christie's London, The Poetry of Crisis; The Peter Nahum Collection of British Surrealist and Avant-Garde Art 1930-1951, 15th November 2006, lot 196, where acquired by the present owner

London, Olympia Fine Art & Antiques Fair (Loan Exhibition), Graham Sutherland, February - March 2003, cat. no.188.

The work appears to have been laid down on to a backing sheet, with deckling throughout, which has been further worked on by the artist. This is then laid onto a further coloured backing card. There are several creases to the sheet, including diagonal creases across the top and bottom right corners, creases running horizontally across the centre of the composition (possibly in line with a previous fold). Further there is a repaired tear running through the top of the right hand cauldron, and a further possible repaired tear below the buffer of the left hand cauldron. These repairs could well have been done by the artist when he laid the sheet to the backing in order to finalise the composition. There are further very minor scuffs to isolated areas along the extreme edge, in keeping with the nature of the artist's technique. This excepting the work appears to be in good, stable condition. Housed behind glass in a thick gilt and painted frame and float-mounted within an inner black wooden mount. Please telephone the department on +44 (0) 207 293 6424 if you have any questions regarding the present work.
"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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Sutherland was one of the first artists 'recruited' by Kenneth Clark into the War Artists Advisory Committee (WAAC) scheme, and like his contemporaries Henry Moore and John Piper, he initially felt slightly uncertain as to how he might apply his own vision to such a programme. However, in the devastated streets and warehouses of the East End of London, he found the sources for a powerful body of work, full of foreboding.

Later in the war, Sutherland was sent to the giant steel foundries of South Wales, and the combination of the industrial architecture and the almost alchemical processes involved gave him ample subject matter to create images that are at once factual and fantastical. The technical processes in steel manufacture clearly fascinated Sutherland, and he draws this into the images that he produced. Whilst ostensibly dealing with a depiction of an industrial process essential to the war effort, Sutherland transforms these scenes, the huge furnaces and crucibles taking on a life of their own. Huge tongues of flame leap from the crucibles of molten metal and the hot yellows, pinks and reds add an infernal glow to the whole. The human is reduced to a mere cipher.