Elisabeth Frink (1930-1993)

Rolling Over Horse

Pencil and watercolour on paper, 1978, signed and dated in pencil, sheet 800 x 550mm (31 1/2 x 21 5/8in) (framed)

For British artist Elisabeth Frink, the figure of the horse symbolised the very beauty and unpredictability of nature. Specifically, it was man's relationship with these beasts that fascinated her and caused her continuous return to the subject across her sculptures, paintings and prints. In the artist's words, 'they have [had] a very close relationship, for millions of years, man and horse, that's what interests me. You know, the horse ... has done so much for manworks for him, carries him to battleand yet has retained its independence in a, in a strange way, that it can, in a flash, transform everything by chucking him off. And I like that idea'.

The present artwork speaks to the importance of this idea to the artist. Here Frink has isolated her rolling horse from any background, allowing her the freedom to fully focus on rendering the light, shadow and details of it's figure. In fact, by mapping the muscular frame of the horse's body in this way, Frink draws our attention to the unrestrained strength of this powerful creature. Furthermore, what is perhaps most captivating here is that in her unique manipulation of watercolour, Frink has developed a signature style that sits somewhere between painting and sculpture. The result is a picture that is both striking for viewers in its aesthetic simplicity, and sublime in the primitive power it displays.

Provenance:

Private Collection, United Kingdom, 1995-Present.

Chiswick Auctions, London, 11th April 1995.