Kenneth Armitage

Description

Overwhelmed by a visit to the ancient colossal statues of Egypt, in 2000 Kenneth Armitage set about creating three of the largest sculptures of his career, experimenting with the visual power and immediacy of monumental scale. Working closely in partnership with technician Dick Budden, he produced 'Both Arms', 'Legs Walking' and 'Reach for the Stars', which were based upon close-up studies of different parts of the body and, in fact, became the last pieces of work ever made by Armitage before his death in 2002.

Building upon his fascination with the human form and 'the simple things of life', the inspiration behind this sculpture came from an advertisement for brightly coloured stockings, appealing to Armitage's humour and love of the female figure.

Because of their sheer scale, straight lines and basic colouring, the piece retains many of the abstract and humorous themes of his later works, whilst at the same time reflecting a glimmer of the sensuous, erotic qualities that have been explored by this artist through-out his career.

Standing high above a dominating, matt plinth, the five polished legs are quite literally put on top of a pedestal, there to be gazed at from an untouchable distance away. Stretching to the top of the thigh, they may be seen as boldly suggestive, with each limb striding confidently through the air.

As anonymous identities, they are secretive, mysterious and suggestive, saying nothing and allowing the viewer to assume everything. As Armitage noted,

"In a crowd we see only the face or hand that catches our eye, for we see... what is most conspicuous or important or familiar."