Michael Sandle is best recognised as a sculptor but as a student at the Slade School of Art in London he spent most of his time in the etching and lithography studios. In a statement made in 1988 he described how printmaking was a seminal activity for him, significantly affecting his development as an artist and particularly influencing the way he continued to draw.

This is one of Sandle’s earliest prints. From 1954 to 1956 Sandle was conscripted into the armed forces for National Service. At the same time he was free to take evening classes at Chelsea College of Art and the image of a gas-masked figure appears in his graphic work at this time. He developed a lifelong interest in the imagery of war – its weaponry, machinery and other accoutrements. Stylistically he was also influenced by two major art movements of the early 20th century – Italian Futurism and its British counterpart, Vorticism.