NIC FIDDIAN-GREEN |
Introduction
Through sheer determination and passion for his subject he has stayed true to the form of the Horse's head for 25 years. The spirit and power of this noble creature, both servant and master to man, has been his long-term obsession. No animal is so deeply embedded in our culture and history, the very earliest example of art ever discovered in Britain was a horses head carved into a bone from 10,000 years BC. Nic’s recent harrowing encounter with life-threatening illness has caused an obvious and honest creative re-assessment. These have not been easy years for him but there has emerged a stronger, deeper and more contemplative vision in the new work. In the eyes of his silent horses heads we see a mixture of emotions as he asks questions of the viewer that lend the new work a powerful spiritual and emotional resonance. The huge success of the last show with the positive reaction to the new work combined with his continuing recovery have spurred him to create even more ambitious and more enormous new sculptures. The original influence of the elegant Parthenon frieze is still apparent in the new sculpture. He has re-visited his earliest inspiration and the classical Greek principles of grace, beauty, serenity, and harmony are balanced with new sensibilities and his own considerable experience of working on the subject over the years. The added factor of the very large scale working to stunning effect. Once again this summer there will be pieces on the lawns of Glyndebourne Opera House, but there will also be an opportunity to see new monumental heads on the main lawns at Royal Ascot and a really amazing absolutely enormous 30 foot Greek head “Artemis” at Goodwood. And, as always, there will be smaller pieces on view at the gallery in Bruton Place. Gerry Farrell |
Nic Fiddian-Green’s first show at the Sladmore was exactly 10 years ago in June 1999. We have shown together in all that time at a number of successful one man exhibitions in Bruton Place, New York, Dublin, Paris, Sydney, and at Art fairs all over the World.