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Lot Essay
Horse and horsemen first made their appearance as subject-matter for Frink's work at the end of the 1960s, shortly after she went to live in the Camargue area in the south of France. The Camargue is celebrated for its herds of semi-wild horses, and it was inevitable that they should capture Frink's imagination. It was not merely that their appearance attracted her; Frink was an accomplished rider, and understood horses thoroughly. She admired not only their beauty, but their strength, fidelity and sagacity. She was aware, just as she was with dogs, of their intimate link with, and dependence on, human beings.
In 1973 Frink decided to return to England. This did not, however, mark a break in her development of this particular image. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s she continued making sculptures of horses. At Woolland there was always a small group of thoroughbreds in the stable yard: Frink's husband was an enthusiastic racing man who nourished ambitions to win an important event with a horse he had bred.
These thoroughbreds were part of Frink's domestic surroundings, but they were not, except in a very general fashion, models for her work. The type of horse which attracted her aesthetically was the beast in its most primitive form. The horses of Camargue, whose resemblance to those in the cave paintings at Lascaux has often been remarked upon, made an indelible imprint on her imagination: she liked their stocky bodies, short necks and large heavy heads. Edward Lucie-Smith notes that it is a Camargue horse which is likely to have supplied the model for First Horse (Elisabeth Frink Sculpture since 1984 and Drawing, London, 1994, p. 40).
For further works from this collection please see lots 134-138, Modern British and Irish Art Day Sale, 11 July 2013.
In 1973 Frink decided to return to England. This did not, however, mark a break in her development of this particular image. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s she continued making sculptures of horses. At Woolland there was always a small group of thoroughbreds in the stable yard: Frink's husband was an enthusiastic racing man who nourished ambitions to win an important event with a horse he had bred.
These thoroughbreds were part of Frink's domestic surroundings, but they were not, except in a very general fashion, models for her work. The type of horse which attracted her aesthetically was the beast in its most primitive form. The horses of Camargue, whose resemblance to those in the cave paintings at Lascaux has often been remarked upon, made an indelible imprint on her imagination: she liked their stocky bodies, short necks and large heavy heads. Edward Lucie-Smith notes that it is a Camargue horse which is likely to have supplied the model for First Horse (Elisabeth Frink Sculpture since 1984 and Drawing, London, 1994, p. 40).
For further works from this collection please see lots 134-138, Modern British and Irish Art Day Sale, 11 July 2013.