Bryan Kneale

Description

Triton was said to be the son of Poseidon and Amphitrite (see Sculpture at Goodwood 95/96, Michael Lyons Amphitrite 1993). His home was the entire sea. It is also said that the name of Triton was applied to the beings who made up Poseidon's retinue: the upper half of their bodies were men and the lower part fish, and they were traditionally depicted blowing into shells which they used as horns.

Bryan Kneale's Triton is also an amalgam of forms. Made from a dome spun from stainless steel, cut into shapes and reassembled, the composition combines convex and concave areas. The convex portions are mirror-polished and form the main large sweeps of the sculpture, whilst the concave parts are satin-finished, thereby providing two contrasting characteristics to the surfaces of the sculpture. Large and small portions are conjoined, and the whole abstract form is one of movement, pause and change in direction. The way in which two parts within a sculpture are joined together is important to Bryan Kneale, a consideration retained since his earlier work, that was based more obviously on skeletal, animal forms. The outer polished areas reflect the surroundings, introducing colour and a distinctive sense of place.

Kneale has in the past applied water-related themes to his sculptures. Deemster Fish 1996, which was also enabled by Goodwood (see Sculpture at Goodwood 96/97 and 98/99), is a prime example. In that sculpture the form was open and linear, whereas in Triton line plays an important role, but the form is closed. Triton is one of a number of sculptures in which Bryan Kneale has chosen to cut into spun metal domes of stainless steel or mild steel, creating works of great variety and on a range of scale.