Denis Mitchell : ascending forms

Renowned for his dynamic polished bronzes, Denis Mitchel (1912-93) evolved a visual language inspired by his intimate knowledge of working in, and on, the landscape. In 1930 Mitchel moved from Swansea to join the artistic colony at St Ives, to start market gardening and to paint, but his experience of tin mining during the war and his tenure as an assistant to Barbara Hepworth between 1949 and 1960 soon inspired him to carve. Working initially with wood, slate and stone, Mitchell eventually found his signature material in bronze. His implicit understanding of the balance of line and form created by the interplay of light and surface imbues Mitchell's large scale sculptures with a unique vitality.