Artwork
Study for the bronze sculpture 'Lion'
Study for the bronze sculpture 'Lion' is a drawing by Lynn Chadwick. It dates from 1960 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
This 1960 drawing by Lynn Chadwick serves as a preparatory study for a bronze lion sculpture. Executed in ink on paper, it captures the animal’s form through rapid, gestural marks. The work is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, where it reflects Chadwick’s process of translating two-dimensional sketches into three-dimensional metal forms.
Subject & Meaning
The subject is a stylized lion, rendered without naturalistic detail. Its form is abstracted into angular, fragmented shapes, suggesting power and tension rather than realism. The lack of refinement implies an emphasis on primal energy, aligning with Chadwick’s interest in expressing raw, elemental forces through simplified animal motifs.
Technique & Style
Chadwick employed swift, layered strokes with thick ink, building volume through overlapping lines rather than shading. The surface is textured with scratchy, uneven marks that convey movement and urgency. This method prioritizes spontaneity and physicality, treating the drawing as a direct extension of sculptural thinking rather than a polished image.
History & Provenance
Created in 1960, the drawing was retained by the artist and later acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum. It remains part of their permanent collection, offering insight into Chadwick’s working methods during a period when he was refining his signature style of abstracted animal forms in bronze.
Context
In postwar Britain, Chadwick emerged as part of a generation redefining sculpture through abstraction and industrial materials. His drawings functioned as essential intermediaries between concept and cast metal. This study reflects broader trends in mid-century art that valued process, materiality, and the expressive potential of rough, unrefined forms.
Legacy
The drawing exemplifies how preparatory sketches can carry as much conceptual weight as finished works. It continues to inform scholarship on Chadwick’s practice, illustrating his unique approach to translating gesture into sculpture. Its preservation underscores the value placed on artistic process within institutional collections.
Artist & collection
Artist
Lynn Russell Chadwick, was an English sculptor and artist. Much of his work is semi-abstract sculpture in bronze or steel. His work is in the collections of MoMA in New York, the Tate in London and the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris.
