F. E. McWilliam
Joie de Vivre, c. 1988
Mulberry
Height 233.5 cm
Height 91 7/8 inches
Height 91 7/8 inches
Further images
The Northern Irish sculptor spent most of his career living in London, in Pembroke Square, Kensington. It was after the great storm of October 1987, which destroyed 250,000 trees in...
The Northern Irish sculptor spent most of his career living in London, in Pembroke Square, Kensington. It was after the great storm of October 1987, which destroyed 250,000 trees in South-East England, that the artist returned to sculpting in wood.
Using the grain and broken parts of the trunk, as he had done in the 1930s from his orchard, McWilliam created unique sculptures, often bearing affinity with surrealism, filled with energy and poetry. Inspired by the gnarled form of the ancient tree, he created a series of organic wood carvings. While some of the series take their titles from chess figures, others such as Death of the Elm, Resurrection (1990) were inspired by the natural shapes of the wood. Joie de vivre is one of the largest sculptures made from his garden's fallen tree. It was suggested that F. E. McWilliam titled this piece "joy of life" in memory of his wife Beth (Elizabeth Marion Crowther 1910-1988), who had passed away that year after 56 years of marriage.
Using the grain and broken parts of the trunk, as he had done in the 1930s from his orchard, McWilliam created unique sculptures, often bearing affinity with surrealism, filled with energy and poetry. Inspired by the gnarled form of the ancient tree, he created a series of organic wood carvings. While some of the series take their titles from chess figures, others such as Death of the Elm, Resurrection (1990) were inspired by the natural shapes of the wood. Joie de vivre is one of the largest sculptures made from his garden's fallen tree. It was suggested that F. E. McWilliam titled this piece "joy of life" in memory of his wife Beth (Elizabeth Marion Crowther 1910-1988), who had passed away that year after 56 years of marriage.