Fletcher Sibthorp was born in Bricket Wood, Hertfordshire, England[citation needed] and studied Illustration at Kingston University (then known as Kingston Polytechnic), graduating with Honours in 1989.[2] During his studies there and immediately following graduation, Sibthorp developed a keen interest in exploring the idea of movement and its subsequent effect on the human form, usually experimenting in oil. His key influences at that time were the British painters Francis Bacon and Frank Auerbach, as well as artists Gustav Klimt and Edgar Degas.[3]
Career
Movement, its effect on the human form and sport
Although he worked to a large format, many of his earlier commissions were for nevertheless for book jackets, magazine articles and corporate brochures. He persisted, however, in experimenting outside of commissioned work, predominantly in the area of sport and in 1992, his efforts culminated in his first solo show, entitled ‘In Motion’, at the Stable Gallery, Wandsworth, London. Five large scale pieces from this show, portrayals of gymnasts and athletes, were acquired by a Private Sports Club for their flagship club in the City (of London), as a permanent collection.
He continued to be commissioned for figurative sport pieces for magazines, notably The Evening Standard, who asked him to illustrate the Wimbledon Tennis Championships (The Championships, Wimbledon) for the cover of their lifestyle glossy, the ES magazine, as well as large corporate companies such as British Petroleum (BP) and British Telecom (BT).[3]
In 1997, after being awarded several Certificates of Excellence by the magazine Communication Arts he subsequently featured in three of their CA Illustration Annuals. One of these awards was for an image commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company for a production of Othello; another, for a portrait of Bertrand Russell used on a biographical book jacket.[4] A New York-based advertising agency saw his work and selected him - as one of four artists - to paint 'live' for a Kirin beer campaign in New York. There followed a 4-man show of each artist's work at the Kirin Art Space in central Tokyo, Japan entitled ' New York No Otokotachi' (4 Painters from New York).[5]
Flamenco Gold 1998. Finished painting after a series of preparatory studies. Oil and gold leaf on canvas and glass.
A move away from Sport
Fletcher had been approached by the Sadler's Wells Theatre in 1995, with a view to producing a painting of the Flamenco troupe formed by Paco Peña.[1] This was the key starting point for his interest in all forms of dance, and a move away from depicting athletes. Although the image he produced was not eventually used, his having been invited to the press performance resulted in a very key piece and his earliest Flamenco painting "Flamenco Gold' which was used on the cover of Jason Webster's best selling book: Duende; A Journey In Search of Flamenco".[6]
A chance meeting whilst in Japan for the Kirin show (in which Flamenco Gold was propitiously one of the pieces being exhibited), led to his being invited to hold the first of his solo exhibitions in Tokyo - "Leyenda - Studies of Joaquín Cortés and Dancers". Yearly shows in Japan have since resulted in Fletcher's work bought by private Japanese collectors, particularly his Flamenco pieces. (Flamenco as a dance form has an enormous following in Japan - with the most enthusiasts after Spain[7] and with numerous magazines dedicated solely to the subject. Sibthorp has been interviewed for several of these specialist publications.)
In 2000 - a solo show, 'Quiet Space',[8] at the China Club in Hong Kong, saw a temporary departure from dance as it consisted solely of very still figurative pieces. This subject matter continues to form a small but important part of his collective work.[2]
A return to London
Although Sibthorp accepted private and corporate commissions in the UK, a gap of 13 years was to mark his absence in British galleries, as he concentrated on Japan. It was not until 2005 that he held a solo show, in the exhibition heartland of London: Cork Street in Mayfair. 'Passion' was a well-received mixed-subject show of flamenco, modern dance and portrait work, and it coincided with the publication of his first book, also entitled Passion.[2] It was at this juncture that he began to gain real recognition from UK collectors.
Art for the 'populace'
Also known in Britain for his popular limited-edition prints of flamenco dancers, he won the Fine Art Trade Guild's poll as the most successful living British print artist of 2006, thus receiving the John Solomon Award.[9] The previous two years had seen the hugely successful artist Jack Vettriano as holder of the title. The Guild's poll very much reflects the sharp contrast between how the public view the Turner Prize and what they actually buy to adorn walls of home and office.[10]
Chroma I, 2007- Finished painting, oil on board.
Balletic themes
Following the success of his 2005 show, he was approached by the respected Medici Gallery, also an established Cork Street gallery. Sibthorp held his first mixed show with them the following year and included some of his first Royal Ballet pieces. The subsequent 2007 Medici show saw a further shift in emphasis away from Flamenco with many more paintings and studies that were the result of his attending dress rehearsals and photocalls at the Royal Opera House. His most notable pieces were inspired by the modern ballet 'Chroma' by Royal Ballet 'Choreographer-In-Residence', Wayne McGregor and with sets by the British minimalist architect John Pawson, as well as the production of Danse à Grande Vitesse, by choreographer Christopher Wheeldon and featuring the principal dancer Darcey Bussell. One of the paintings from this latter production sold for £25,000, elevating Sibthorp's work to the next 'status level' in contemporary British figurative art.[11]
The response from this show was such that Sibthorp was invited to be sole observer of the last studio rehearsals of Darcey Bussell with her regular dance partners Gary Avis and Carlos Acosta, leading up to her final acclaimed retirement performance at The Royal Opera House.[12]
He plans to continue to study the human figure and dance in all its forms.
Related Research Articles
Patrick Joseph Caulfield,, was an English painter and printmaker known for his bold canvases, which often incorporated elements of photorealism within a pared-down scene. Examples of his work are Pottery and Still Life Ingredients.
Franz Kline was an American painter. He is associated with the Abstract Expressionist movement of the 1940s and 1950s. Kline, along with other action painters like Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Robert Motherwell, John Ferren, and Lee Krasner, as well as local poets, dancers, and musicians came to be known as the informal group, the New York School. Although he explored the same innovations to painting as the other artists in this group, Kline's work is distinct in itself and has been revered since the 1950s.
Max Weber was a Jewish-American painter and one of the first American Cubist painters who, in later life, turned to more figurative Jewish themes in his art. He is best known today for Chinese Restaurant (1915), in the collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art, "the finest canvas of his Cubist phase," in the words of art historian Avis Berman.
Dame Darcey Andrea Bussell, is an English retired ballerina and a former judge on the BBC television dance contest Strictly Come Dancing.
Gary Ruddell is an American artist best known for his figurative representational paintings. As well as his illustrations for works of science fiction and fantasy literature. His cover artwork for Dan Simmons's novel Hyperion was nominated for the 1990 Hugo Award for Best Original Artwork.
Berenice Sydney (1944–1983), born Berenice Frieze, and professionally known as 'Berenice', was a British artist who produced a substantial body of work from 1964 until her death in 1983. Her oeuvre consists of paintings on canvas and paper, drawings, prints, children's books, costume design, and performance. A memorial exhibition of her work was held at the Royal Academy in 1984 followed by solo shows in Italy, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Switzerland, and Britain. Her work continues to be featured in print and watercolour shows held in Burlington House. Her work is in over 100 private and public collections.
Sergei Pavlenko is a portrait painter of Russian origin and now based in Britain.
MS Azura is a cruise ship operated by P&O Cruises and owned by Carnival plc. The ship was built by Fincantieri at their shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy. She officially entered service with the company in April 2010 and was named by Darcey Bussell.
Gary Avis MBE is an English ballet dancer who is currently a Principal Character Artist and Senior Ballet Master with The Royal Ballet, London.
Tony Bevan is a British painter, known for his psychologically charged images of people at the edge of respectable society.
Andrew Michael Stahl is a British painter who lives and works in the UK. He is known for his large figurative paintings. He is Professor of Fine Art and Head of Undergraduate Painting at the Slade School of Fine Art.
Ken Kiff, RA was an English figurative artist, was born in Dagenham and trained at Hornsey School of Art 1955-61. He came to prominence in the 1980s thanks to the championship of art critic Norbert Lynton, and a cultural climate intent on re-assessing figurative art following the Royal Academy's ‘New Spirit in Painting’ exhibition in 1981. He started exhibiting at Nicola Jacob's gallery, moved to Fischer Fine Art in 1987 and finally to the Marlborough Gallery in 1990, by which time he had begun exhibiting internationally and had work in major public collections. He was elected to the Royal Academy in 1991 and became Associate Artist at the National Gallery 1991-93. His 30-year teaching career at Chelsea School of Art and the Royal College influenced a generation of students.
Olaf Hajek is a German-based illustrator, painter, artist, graphic designer, and author.
Jonathan Cope, CBE is a British ballet dancer. He was a principal dancer at The Royal Ballet until his retirement in 2006, then served as a répétiteur with the company until 2019.
George William Bissill was a British miner, painter, and furniture designer. Bissill's paintings are held in a number of important public collections, including the Tate Gallery, National Museum of Northern ireland and the Manchester Art Gallery. Bissill was known for his landscapes and figurative paintings in oil, watercolour and woodcuts.
Bob Rakušan is a Czech contemporary artist, who creates large-fired enamel works on black steel plate, scrap and salvaged objects, such as stove tops and ovens. The foundation layers of the enamel are often built on screen techniques inspired by the printing process. His work is rooted in drawings, studies and graphic prints. Besides landscapes and abstract and figurative composition, there is a recurring ocean theme in his works, inspired by his longtime occupation as a captain of sailing ships.
Gaston Sébire was a French painter of seascapes, landscapes, still lifes and flowers.
Robert Heindel was an American painter, illustrator, and stage designer best known for his paintings of dance and performing arts. Heindel created over 1300 paintings and drawings of dance and performing arts during a twenty-five year period in the late twentieth century. He was described as the best painter of dance of his time.
Stanley Wilfred Simmonds ARCA was a British painter and art teacher.
Yōzō Ukita was a Japanese artist. A member of the Gutai Art Association from 1955 until 1964, Ukita was also notably an editor of Kirin [Giraffe], a children's magazine to which numerous Gutai members contributed. Ukita's participation in Gutai significantly developed the group's interest in children's art and art education.
↑ Simmonds, Lucy; Sibthorp, Fletcher (2000). Quiet Space (Catalogue of an exhibition at the China Club and the Fringe Club, Montblanc Gallery, Hong Kong from 15th-21st March 2000; exhibition organised by Lucy Simmonds Fine Paintings). Hong Kong: Lucy Simmonds Fine Paintings. OCLC51376360.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
