Ian Hamilton Finlay CBE (1925-2006), was born in Nassua, Bahamas, to Scottish parents. Educated at the Glasgow School of Art, Finlay published poetry from 1958 to his death, while further exploring ‘poem-objects’, notable for their classical influence, visiting and revisiting themes on momento mori, war, and utopianism.
‘Umbra Solis’ is a print which points to to a permanent sculpture/object installation of ‘Sundial: Umbra solis non aeris’ housed at the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, also from 1975. Finlay is known for his collaborative work; rendering his poetry real and ‘concrete’, he would often utilise the skills and labour of engravers, sculptors, stonemasons, and artists to make permanent and semi-permanent installations of his poetry, blurring the lines between scultpure, poetry, craftsmanship, and object.
In this instance, Finlay collaborated with English artist Michael Harvey (1931-2013) in the completion of the sundial and the screenprint of Umbra Solis.
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