Sutherland was born in 1903 in Streatham. He attended Epsom School and then studied at Goldsmith’s School of Art (1921-26), where he quickly became a highly skilled etcher. During the Second World War Sutherland was employed as an official War Artist, in which capacity he depicted bomb damage in London and other British cities. Following the end of the conflict, his reputation continued to grow and he became one of Britain's most prominent artists. He was awarded the Order of Merit in 1960 and died in London in 1980.

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Sutherland's work expressed an interest in organic forms of growth such as tree roots and thorny bushes, which he often depicted in close-up or from foreshortened viewpoints. These formations, which remained central to his images throughout his career, often appeared menacing or threatening, with allusions to human and animal characteristics.