Lot 269
Laurence Broderick (British 1935 - 2024) §
Little Otter II, 1970
Auction: 27 October 2023 from 11:00 BST
Description
signed, dated, titled and numbered 4/7, stamped with the foundry mark, patinated bronze
Dimensions
29cm wide (11 1/2in wide)
Footnote
Laurence Broderick: The Accidental Naturalist
I am never ever going to make an animal, I didn’t want to go into that area. I was a sculptor of shapes, modern, abstract shapes, I did not want to go down the road of being a wildlife sculptor. Laurence Broderick
Despite the above declaration, the agility of the otter and its ability to create myriad shapes captured Laurence Broderick’s imagination and appealed to his artistic nature. He allowed himself to experiment and to depict just this one animal. Today Broderick’s affinity with the otter is so great that he is known as the ‘otter man of Skye’ and he is a joint president of the International Otter Survival Fund (IOSF). His work and attitude towards conservation have also broadened to include many other species.
Broderick’s respect for the natural world is also apparent through his creative process. Often carving directly into stone or wood he makes no preparatory drawings or models of his intended creations. Instead, he works in unison with the material to accentuate its natural truth, keeping forms simple and surfaces uncluttered by detail. In many cases his sculptures are carefully polished to enhance their colour and markings, especially when they are cast in bronze or silver. Broderick works with a wide selection of stone including Ledmore, Portsoy and Purbeck marbles, alabaster, Polyphant soapstone, as well as Hopton Wood and Ancaster limestone. The combination of these raw materials together with a sympathy with the casting process and sensitive sculpture’s eye has led to the creation of objects in harmony with the natural world.