A man of many talents

Russell Stuart Cedric Clark (1905-1966) was a man of many talents – a commercial artist, illustrator, painter, sculptor and university lecturer.

In 1922, he attended Canterbury College School of Art and was taught by Cecil Kelly (1878-1954) and Archibald Nicoll (1886-1953). Out of necessity, Clark left art school in 1928 to work as a commercial artist in Christchurch, and then moved to Dunedin the following year.

In 1932, he started art classes at McIndoe’s Design Studio, which became popular with many younger Dunedin artists, including Doris Lusk (1916-1990) and Colin McCahon (1919-1987).

In 1938 Clark moved to Wellington, becoming the principal illustrator for the New Zealand School Journal and the New Zealand Listener. It was through these two publications that he became part of the everyday lives of New Zealanders and familiar to generations of school children.

The 1950s was perhaps Clark’s most experimental period. A visit to Ruatahuna provided new stimulus that resulted in his depictions of a Mā ori way of life with a raw naturalism.

But, it was sculpture that became Clark’s main focus. He created a series of largescale public sculptures that included the sculpture for the Timaru Telephone Exchange (1957).

These sculptures were heavily influenced by British sculptors such as Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975), Henry Moore (1898-1986) and Lynn Chadwick (1914-2003).

Clark’s interest in sculpture can be clearly seen in Sculpture Group 4 (pictured), which is, in essence, a working drawing for a possible public sculpture. Against a burnt orange background, Clark juxtaposes amorphous and geometric shapes that resemble the sails of a waka, or a group of abstract figures that float within a void, waiting to be transformed into three dimensional forms for the urban landscape.

Sculpture Group 4 is on display this week at the Aigantighe Art Gallery.