Tom J. Taylor (1925–1994) was a New Zealand sculptor and educator who spent most of his life in Christchurch. He was a well-regarded lecturer at the University of Canterbury (UC), and a number of his students became notable artists.

Taylor trained in architecture and later sculpture at the forerunner of UC. He spent most of his working life as a lecturer at the UC School of Fine Arts. Taylor specialised in sculpture and later led that department. He taught and largely practiced modernism, but encouraged his students to explore other art movements and unconventional media.

As a sculptor, his productive early and sparse late periods were figurative with a period of formal abstraction in between. Taylor also designed houses, theatre sets, and was an organiser in the Christchurch arts community.

Early life and education

Taylor was born in Christchurch in 1925. He completed his schooling at St Kevin's College, Oamaru, and passed the examination to enter university (or matriculated) at 14+1⁄2 years old. However, World War II interrupted his studies. He joined the Royal New Zealand Navy and served overseas for the last two years of the war.[1]

On his return, Taylor studied architecture then sculpture at Canterbury University College (CUC).[1] He completed a degree in architectural construction in 1947.[3] Then in 1952, at the School of Fine Arts, Taylor completed a diploma in the fine arts.[2][4] He specialised in figurative sculpture,[5] which was taught by Eric J. Doudney.[6]

Working life

Educator

Taylor was an educator in Christchurch throughout his working life. He started as the art master at St Andrew's College.[7] Then in 1960, Taylor joined the UC School of Fine Arts as a lecturer specialising in sculpture.[8] He led the sculpture department from 1969 until his retirement in 1991.[9][1]

As late as the mid-1980s, Taylor taught and largely practiced modernism.[10] But he encouraged his students to explore other art movements and unconventional media.[11] A number of Taylor's students became notable artists. They include Chris Booth, Stephen Clarke, Paul Cullen, Bing Dawe, Neil Dawson, Stephen Furlonger, Rosemary Johnson, Rodney Broad, John Panting, Matt Pine, Phil Price, Pauline Rhodes, Carl Sydow, Bronwyn Taylor, Merylyn Tweedie and Boyd Webb.[12][13] In a 2013 interview, Dawson remembered Taylor as a highly intelligent but tough sculpture and art history lecturer. He continued "[Taylor] set challenges which would last for the rest of your life, and you can't ask for more than that from your teacher."[14]

Sculptor

Taylor's early work was figurative and mainly in concrete (see Known works). In 1966,[15] he received the first Canterbury Society of Arts Guthry travel grant, and visited Australia.[16] There, Taylor was inspired by the massive steel work of Clement Meadmore.[15] For the next decade,[17][18] he produced formal abstractions in steel.[13] In 1969, Taylor received a Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council travel grant. He visited Europe to study sculpture in bronze with Quinto Ghermandi [it] and steel with Rudolf Hoflehner [de].[19] From the 1980s, Taylor returned to his figurative roots,[6] and produced the occasional bust in bronze.

Taylor was a member of The Group and 20/20 Vision in the 1960s, and the Sculptors' Group in the early 1970s.[20] He exhibited his work with all three.[21][22][23] In his book New Zealand Sculpture: A History, Michael Dunn wrote "As a teacher, Taylor earned wide respect, though as a practitioner he failed to fulfil his potential."[6]

Designer

Although Taylor was not an architect, he still designed houses for acquaintances in Christchurch.

The first was for his School of Fine Arts colleague and close friend, the painter W. A. "Bill" Sutton.[24][13] Taylor designed the house, including a studio, in a local modernist style. Built in 1963, Sutton lived there until he died in 2000. The house on Templar Street, Richmond was one of the few in the area to survive the 2010 Canterbury and 2011 Christchurch earthquakes. Owned by Christchurch City Council since 2019,[25] it is used as an artist's residence.[26] In 2022, Sutton House and Garden was listed as a category 1 historic place of special or outstanding significance.[25]

Taylor also designed the Governors Bay house of author Margaret Mahy,[26] who lived there from 1968 until her death in 2012.[27] Sources conflict on whether Taylor designed a third house on Gloucester Street, Linwood,[26][28] for another colleague, the painter and potter Doris Lusk.[29]

Between 1953 and 1972, Taylor also occasionally designed theatre sets.[30][31] Most were for Shakespeare plays performed by the university drama society,[32][33] which were produced by Taylor's friend, the author Ngaio Marsh.[1]

Organiser

Taylor helped to found a number of art ventures, all based in Christchurch.

In 1964, John Coley and Taylor inspired other artists to form 20/20 Vision,[13] an informal group influenced by international contemporary art.[16] The group held annual exhibitions of its members' work 1965–68.[34][35]

The Sculptors' Group, founded by Taylor and his student Carl Sydow in 1970, organised lectures and held three exhibitions. It disbanded in 1972 when members moved from South to North Island or overseas for training or work opportunities.[11]

In 1980, printmaker Jule Einhorn set up the Gingko Print Workshop and Gallery for Works on Paper with the help of printmaker Barry Cleavin and Taylor.[36][37] Gingko was located in the Arts Centre, of which Taylor was a board member, and its buildings used to be the CUC School of Fine Arts, where he had trained.[13] The print workshop closed in 1992.[38]

Personal life

Taylor and his former wife Paddy had three children.[1] His next partner was Joan Livingstone.[13] Taylor died in 1994, and was survived by his last partner Jule Einhorn.[1]

Known works

Known works by Tom J. Taylor
Year Title, subject or description Type Medium Dimensions Notes
1960 WWII airman in flying kit Memorial Clay for concrete H 3300 mm Commissioned for Brevet Club, Christchurch. Model completed,[39] but damage to mould and club concern that memorial would become dated meant it was not cast.[40] See Icarus falling (1964).
1962 John Baskcomb Bust Plaster for bronze Shown at The Group exhibition.[41]
1963 Head of H. Winston Rhodes Bust Concrete Shown at The Group exhibition.[42] See Professor Winston Rhodes (1989).
1964 Icarus falling Bas-relief Concrete Also commissioned for Brevet Club.[40] Accessible at Spitfire Square, Christchurch.
1964 Shakespeare Sketch model Shown at The Group exhibition.[43] Commissioned for original Ngaio Marsh Theatre in UC Students' Union building. Medium was to be concrete,[44] but memorial was produced in steel, see Shakespeare (1967).
1965 Echoing figure Statue Plaster Life-size Shown at first 20/20 Vision exhibition.[22]
1967 Shakespeare Memorial Steel L 4000 × H 910 mm Commissioned for original Ngaio Marsh Theatre in UC Students' Union building. Etched with Shakespeare portrait.[32] Not moved to current Ngaio Marsh Theatre.
1967 Moraine Freestanding Steel 1300 × 1000 × 1470 mm First formal abstraction.[15] In Christchurch Art Gallery collection.[17]
1967–68 Tuarau Freestanding Steel 460 × 380 × 380 mm [15]
1968 The Sum of the Squares Freestanding Steel 677 × 1486 × 750 mm In Christchurch Art Gallery collection.[45][15]
1968 Climactic Freestanding Metal Shown and for sale at The Group exhibition.[46][47]
1968 St Ivo Freestanding Metal Shown and for sale at The Group exhibition.[48][47]
1970–71 IBM Centre outdoor to indoor Architectural Steel L 5200 × H 4400 mm Commissioned for 155–161 The Terrace, Wellington by owners A.M.P. Society,[49][50] following international competition.[23] Deinstalled.
1973 Palladian Subdivision Installation Multi-media Conceptual and performance art.[51]
1973 QEII Park fountain Fountain Fountain Commissioned for 1974 British Commonwealth Games.[52] All park facilities damaged by 2011 Christchurch earthquake. Demolished.
1976 Transit Architectural Steel 2700 × 4200 × 3300 mm Commissioned for Auckland Medical School.[18][53][9] Last formal abstraction. Deinstalled.
1989 Professor Winston Rhodes Bust Bronze Commissioned as memorial for UC Professor of English.[54][55]
1991–92 W. A. Sutton C.B.E. Bust Bronze 340 × 210 × 200 mm In Christchurch Art Gallery collection.[24]

By 1975, Taylor had produced a plaster head of Ngaio Marsh.[55] At some point, he also produced a bust of Marsh in bronze.[1][13]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h TP 1994.
  2. ^ a b TP 1952.
  3. ^ TP 1947.
  4. ^ Ogilvie 1992, p. 132.
  5. ^ UCSoFA 1940.
  6. ^ a b c Dunn 2009, p. 105.
  7. ^ Ogilvie 1992, pp. 130, 132, 239.
  8. ^ Barton 2014.
  9. ^ a b Dunn 2009, p. 160.
  10. ^ Strongman 2007.
  11. ^ a b Roberts & Milburn 2000, p. 83.
  12. ^ Roberts & Milburn 2000, p. 83-84,101.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g Coley 1994.
  14. ^ Moore 2013.
  15. ^ a b c d e Ascent 1968.
  16. ^ a b Roberts & Milburn 2000, p. 78.
  17. ^ a b CAG 1967.
  18. ^ a b UoAAC 1976.
  19. ^ TP 1969.
  20. ^ Roberts & Milburn 2000, pp. 101, 83.
  21. ^ Catchpole 1984, p. 163.
  22. ^ a b Roberts & Milburn 2000, p. 79.
  23. ^ a b TP 1970b.
  24. ^ a b CAG 1991.
  25. ^ a b HNZ 2022.
  26. ^ a b c AN 2022.
  27. ^ Bolger 2021.
  28. ^ Banbury 2019.
  29. ^ Milburn 2016.
  30. ^ TP 1953.
  31. ^ TP 1972b.
  32. ^ a b TP 1967.
  33. ^ TP 1972a.
  34. ^ RMAG 1982.
  35. ^ Roberts & Milburn 2000, p. 79,81–82.
  36. ^ NLoNZ 1980.
  37. ^ Thomas 1981.
  38. ^ Vangioni 2011.
  39. ^ TP 1960.
  40. ^ a b TP 1964a.
  41. ^ TG 1962, 117.
  42. ^ TG 1963, 119.
  43. ^ TG 1964.
  44. ^ TP 1964b.
  45. ^ CAG 1968.
  46. ^ TG 1968, 112.
  47. ^ a b TCS 1968.
  48. ^ TG 1968, 113.
  49. ^ TP 1970a.
  50. ^ TD 1971.
  51. ^ Roberts & Milburn 2000, pp. 84–85.
  52. ^ TP 1973.
  53. ^ Pollock 2014.
  54. ^ TP 1987.
  55. ^ a b TP 1989.

References

Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Taylor_(sculptor)
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