Study for "Mantis" [recto] 1950

This is Graham Sutherland’s study for "Mantis", made in 1950 with pencil, chalk and wash. It is a preparatory sketch for a larger painting of the predatory insect. Sutherland, a British artist, converted to Catholicism in 1926. His religious faith influenced his art, imbuing it with a vision of the natural world as a scene of latent violence, where spiky forms evoke the suffering of Christ. This study suggests a world of hidden danger, a world where beauty is combined with menace. After the war, Sutherland was commissioned to produce a large religious work, "Christ on the Cross", for St. Matthew's Church in Northampton. We see this influence in the "Mantis", which suggests the idea of sacrifice. To understand Sutherland’s work better, we can consult his biographies, letters, and critical studies of his art. This will enable us to see how the social and institutional context of post-war Britain shaped Sutherland’s vision.