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Lot Essay
Sarah Kent (op. cit., 1984, p.61) comments of this series: 'These 'goggle heads' (1967-69) are sophisticated criminals - Mafia gangsters or dictators' henchmen - 'bully-boys' who, one imagines, take cynical pride in their carefully-planned operations. 'Head' smirks with ruthless pleasure over some victory, his broken nose, bullish neck and Desperate Dan jaw reminding one of Lennie in Steinbecks 'Of Mice and Men', who kills almost as a reflex action, because unable to respond in any other way.
A hare-lip, a flattened nose or an evil grin implies that these heads are nobody's friends, but it's the glinting goggles hiding their eyes and making it impossible to tell which way they are looking that gives them such a threatening appearance. Along with their close-fitting leather helmets, the goggles suggest the mobility and striking power of large motorbikes. They are men who think fast and act quickly, giving chase if necessary.
These suavely efficient operators were actually suggested by a newspaper photograph of General Oufkir, a Moroccan involved in the Ben Barka affair during the Algerian war, wearing dark glasses and Arab head-dress. They bring to an end the series of heads begun with the 'Warrior' of nearly twenty years before and also mark the end of Elisabeth Frink's long-lasting fascination with masculine aggression'.
A hare-lip, a flattened nose or an evil grin implies that these heads are nobody's friends, but it's the glinting goggles hiding their eyes and making it impossible to tell which way they are looking that gives them such a threatening appearance. Along with their close-fitting leather helmets, the goggles suggest the mobility and striking power of large motorbikes. They are men who think fast and act quickly, giving chase if necessary.
These suavely efficient operators were actually suggested by a newspaper photograph of General Oufkir, a Moroccan involved in the Ben Barka affair during the Algerian war, wearing dark glasses and Arab head-dress. They bring to an end the series of heads begun with the 'Warrior' of nearly twenty years before and also mark the end of Elisabeth Frink's long-lasting fascination with masculine aggression'.