Clifford Last
Encyclopedia
Clifford Frank Last was an English
sculptor born in England
, the son of Nella Last
, British author of the war diary Housewife, 49
.
, England
. He had an older brother, Arthur. In the film Housewife, 49
, it is suggested throughout that Cliff was gay, but that his mother did not realise it until he more or less told her after his ship was sunk and he was in recovery in England. After war service in which he lost his closest companion and was injured himself, he trained in art and emigrated to Australia in 1947, becoming a noted sculptor. He has works in Ballarat Fine Art Gallery
.
. Centre Five was a splinter group of the Victorian Sculptors Society comprising members Clifford Last, Inge King
, Vincas Jomantas, Teisutis Zikaras
, Julius Kane and Lenton Parr
. They shared common characteristics in their style and felt that exhibiting together would be to their advantage. Their aim was to foster the understanding of modern sculpture among Australian architects and the public.
The problem lay not in exhibiting together, but rather with the fact that they resigned from the Society and in effect set themselves up in competition with it. The result was a severe split in the very small sculpture world of the time, the repercussions of which are still felt today. Because of the nature of the split, the Society – formed to promote the work of members – missed out on official consideration. Last later was a member of the Commonwealth Art Advisory Board.
Last preferred the work to speak for itself and, unless asked, opted not to go into detail. He carved wood such as Jarrah, using, for example, the cruciform
shape in relativistic relationships which left interpretation open. One such form could refer to animals, plants, icons, or people.
A fine example of his large-scale bronzes entitled "Family" was commissioned by the Australian Government in 1971 as an official gift to the international organization, Asian Development Bank
, which displays it in its lobby headquarters in Manila
.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
sculptor born in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, the son of Nella Last
Nella Last
Nella Last was a housewife who lived in Barrow-in-Furness, England. She wrote a diary for the Mass Observation Archive from 1939 until 1965 making it one of the most substantial diaries held by M-O...
, British author of the war diary Housewife, 49
Housewife, 49
Housewife, 49 was a 2006 television drama based on the wartime diaries of Nella Last. Written by and starring English actress and comedian Victoria Wood, it follows the experiences of an ordinary housewife and mother in the Northern English town of Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria during the Second World...
.
Early life
Clifford Last was the younger son of Nella and William Last, shopfitter in Barrow-in-FurnessBarrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness is an industrial town and seaport which forms about half the territory of the wider Borough of Barrow-in-Furness in the county of Cumbria, England. It lies north of Liverpool, northwest of Manchester and southwest from the county town of Carlisle...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He had an older brother, Arthur. In the film Housewife, 49
Housewife, 49
Housewife, 49 was a 2006 television drama based on the wartime diaries of Nella Last. Written by and starring English actress and comedian Victoria Wood, it follows the experiences of an ordinary housewife and mother in the Northern English town of Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria during the Second World...
, it is suggested throughout that Cliff was gay, but that his mother did not realise it until he more or less told her after his ship was sunk and he was in recovery in England. After war service in which he lost his closest companion and was injured himself, he trained in art and emigrated to Australia in 1947, becoming a noted sculptor. He has works in Ballarat Fine Art Gallery
Ballarat Fine Art Gallery
Art Gallery of Ballarat is the oldest and largest regional art gallery in Australia. Established in 1884 as the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery by the citizens of Ballarat both the building and part of its collection is listed on the Victorian Heritage Registerand by the National Trust of Victoria.The...
.
Centre Five group
Last was a foundation member of Centre Five, the group formed in 1960 to promote contemporary abstract sculpture in Australia. The group was first Centre Four, founded in 1953 by Hungarian Julius Kane, featuring Last, Norma Redpath and German Inge KingInge King
Inge King is a prominent Australian sculptor, who has many significant public, commercial, and private sculpture commissions to her credit....
. Centre Five was a splinter group of the Victorian Sculptors Society comprising members Clifford Last, Inge King
Inge King
Inge King is a prominent Australian sculptor, who has many significant public, commercial, and private sculpture commissions to her credit....
, Vincas Jomantas, Teisutis Zikaras
Teisutis Zikaras
Teisutis 'Joe' Zikaras was an Australian sculptor born in Panevėžys, Lithuania. He earned a diploma at the School of Fine Arts, Kaunas, Lithuania, where his father Juozas, creator of Lithuania's famous Liberty statue, was Head...
, Julius Kane and Lenton Parr
Lenton Parr
Lenton Parr was an Australian sculptor and teacher born in East Coburg, Victoria.He spent eight years in the Royal Australian Air Force before enrolling to study sculpture at the Royal Melbourne Technical College , then worked in England 1955–57 as an assistant to Henry Moore...
. They shared common characteristics in their style and felt that exhibiting together would be to their advantage. Their aim was to foster the understanding of modern sculpture among Australian architects and the public.
The problem lay not in exhibiting together, but rather with the fact that they resigned from the Society and in effect set themselves up in competition with it. The result was a severe split in the very small sculpture world of the time, the repercussions of which are still felt today. Because of the nature of the split, the Society – formed to promote the work of members – missed out on official consideration. Last later was a member of the Commonwealth Art Advisory Board.
Work
Materials included bronze, slate, wood and aluminium. Using wood as his favoured medium, Last furthered his studies at the Melbourne Technical College. After he spent fourteen months back in England in 1950–1951, Last’s work took on a more geometrical form. He explored the use of shapes that he believed demonstrated the emotions existing in family groups and then explored subjects such as duality and Trinity through the manipulation of religious references and symbols.Last preferred the work to speak for itself and, unless asked, opted not to go into detail. He carved wood such as Jarrah, using, for example, the cruciform
Cruciform
Cruciform means having the shape of a cross or Christian cross.- Cruciform architectural plan :This is a common description of Christian churches. In Early Christian, Byzantine and other Eastern Orthodox forms of church architecture this is more likely to mean a tetraconch plan, a Greek cross,...
shape in relativistic relationships which left interpretation open. One such form could refer to animals, plants, icons, or people.
A fine example of his large-scale bronzes entitled "Family" was commissioned by the Australian Government in 1971 as an official gift to the international organization, Asian Development Bank
Asian Development Bank
The Asian Development Bank is a regional development bank established on 22 August 1966 to facilitate economic development of countries in Asia...
, which displays it in its lobby headquarters in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
.
Further reading
- Max Dimmack, Clifford Last, Melbourne, Hawthorn Press. 1972. Monograph on Australian sculptor.
- Geoffrey Edwards, Noel Hutchison, Brett Lockwood (editor), Clifford Last Sculpture, A Retrospective Exhibition – 23 November 1989-29 January 1990, Catalogue, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 1989.