Bryan Kneale RA
Triton III, 2007
stainless steel, 487 x 426 x 730 cm
I remember Bryan telling me that in his early days as a sculptor after he had abandoned what was promising to be a successful career in painting, that he asked Sir Casper John, First Lord of Admiralty, if he could call on the navy to stage a controlled explosion to see what shapes steel could take under these extreme conditions. I don't remember seeing any of the works that came out of this experiment, but the story itself gave me a new perspective on his work which had been lying hidden. This is the maverick side of Bryan, which gives an unexpected and unsettling aspect to his work. The other side is the consummate craftsman, the precise engineer, one could say the jeweller, who spares neither effort nor time to fulfil the aesthetic demands of the work in hand, whatever the scale or the material in use, bronze, steel or aluminium. An awesome combination of what may seem at first glance contrary characteristics but when combined so seamlessly leave the viewer with a sense of enjoyment and challenge. I often get the same feeling looking at his work as in looking at a beautifully crafted piece of armour or some lethal but beautiful weapon; manacing and dangerous, but ultimatley ours. With our eyes we can feel the weight of things, with our body the balanceof each part to the other. Echoes of a world we know even without thinking about it, an accessible container for our projected wonders and dreams. No fantasy, but something real, manmade. This is sculpture.
Philip King PPRA, 2009