Elisabeth Frink was born in November 1930 at her paternal grandparents home The Grange in Great Thurlow, a village and civil parish in the St Edmundsbury district of Suffolk, England. Her parents were Ralph Cuyler Frink and Jean Elisabeth (née Conway-Gordon). Captain Ralph Cuyler Frink, was a career officer in the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards and among the men of the cavalry regiment evacuated from Dunkirk in the early summer of 1940.
The Second World War, which broke out shortly before Frink's ninth birthday, provided context for some of her earliest artistic works. Growing up near a military airfield in Suffolk, she heard bombers returning from their internecine missions and on one occasion was forced to hide under a hedge to avoid the machine gun attack of a German fighter plane. Her early drawings, from the period before she attended arts school in London, have a powerful apocalyptic flavour: themes include wounded birds and falling men. During the course of the war Frink was evacuated with her mother and brother Tim to Exmouth, Devon where she attended Southlands Church of England School. When Southlands School was commandeered for the war effort in 1943 Frink became a full time pupil at The Convent of the Holy Family School.
Being a sculpture Elisabeth Frink loved the process of working on stone and her first lithographs in 1965 were developed in this way in her ‘Spinning Man’ series. A few years later Elisabeth Frink began to investigate colour and so a zinc plate was required. Elisabeth Frink adored animals and this was the subject for her next series of prints ‘The Images’ series. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Hare’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Owl’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Wild Boar’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Lioness’. Elisabeth Frink wanted to capture the spirit of the animal without over statement. She wanted to imply and suggest colour, rather than state it in a naturalistic way.
By 1970 Elisabeth Frink had changed her style of drawing and wanted her lithographs to achieve a molten look- like the patina look of bronze which she succeeded in; Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Horse and Rider I’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Horse and II’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Horse and Rider III’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Horse and Rider IV’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Horse and Rider V’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Horse and Rider VI’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘CAS Horse and Rider’.
Also at this time Elisabeth Frink produced the eight Animals series; Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Bear’. Elisabeth Frink, print ‘Wolf’ and Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Boar’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Hare’. Elisabeth frink, print, signed ‘Badger’. Are all part of this series.
In 1971 Elisabeth Frink chose to separate the drawing of the man and of the horse-they each differ in style and technique in a process called ‘Continuous tone lithography’ as shown in; Elisabeth Frink’s ‘Man and Horse series; Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Man and Horse I’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Man and Horse II’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Man and Horse III. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Man and Horse IV’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Man and Horse V’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Man and HorseVI’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Lying down Horse’. This process was also used for; Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Eagle Owl’.
Elisabeth Frink was very interested in the telepathy between man and horse; Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Horse and Jockey’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Three Riders’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘The Grey Rider’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Small Horse and Rider’.
In 1973 Elisabeth Frink produced The ‘Corrida’ series having visited bullfights in the Camargue. Exploiting the theme of force, movement and violence. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Corrida I’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Corrida II’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Corrida III’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Corrida IV’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Corrida V’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Rejoneadora I’. Elisabeth frink, print, signed ‘Rejoneadora II’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Rejoneadora III’.
By 1974 Birds had became on obsession with Elisabeth Frink and in the sea bird series, colour became more important; Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Osprey’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘The cormorant’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘The Shearwater’.
Elisabeth Frink started experimenting with etching techniques in 1971 with her Canterbury Tales series. This was followed in 1972 with ‘The Birds of Prey Series’ where she developed her etching techniques further. The use of deeper etching makes these images different. They are also distinguished by the use of open bites and textured aquatints; Elisabeth Fink, signed, print ‘Honey Buzzard’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Goshawk’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Peregrine falcon’. The birds of prey series also demonstrates a finer use of hand shaken aquatints; Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Marsh Harrier’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Sparrow hawk’. Technically the most adventurous of this series was Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Long-Eared Owl.
It was a great success and paved the way for the Six Owls series. The colour range of the Owls is comparatively small, and combined with the switching of the paper to BFK Rives, with its finer surface, the overall effect is one of much greater subtly and softness of tone. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Snowy Owl’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Barn Owl’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Young Barn Owl’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Little Owl’.
The etching techniques were moving Elisabeth Frink to an almost sculptural use of the plate. It was thus perhaps inevitable that she would choose next an image that was one of her own; Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Goggled Head’. 1973. Followed in 1980 by her dogs and horses; Elisabeth Frink, print, signed, ‘Viszla a’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Viszla b’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Rolling Over Horse’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Strawberry Roan’. The dogs and horses are Elisabeth Frink’s largest etchings; their isolation from the background gets these images closet of all to her work as sculpture. Also this is depicted in lithograph; Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Nude’. And lithograph; Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Resting Horse’. Elisabeth Frink’s etching at this time created a surface of varying depths and numerous tones. The ultrafine aquatints of these plates contrast with those of her earlier images.
The following series in 1985-1986 were of smaller etchings, technically similar. The mark surface making has not been compromised and the strategic use of line is most effective in; Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Running Man’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Man’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Horse’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Bull’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Baboon. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Tiger’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Panther’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Freedom’.
In the late 1980’s Elisabeth Frink began experimenting with the medium of screen printing. This process very much suited her drawing at that time, which had become very powerful; there was a terrific confidence and certainty about her line. She took to the new drawing and painting materials quite effortlessly; this comes through in the work, her touch is not masked or over-emphasised by the process but fully revealed. The first image Elisabeth Frink made was a dog; this was directly based on her two Hungarian pointers; Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Dog’. Once she knew how the washes worked Elisabeth Frink became more adventurous. For example; Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Running Man’. The wash that forms this screen print was made using the meniscus (surface tension) of a deep pool of fluid. This technique was also used to produce the blue washes in; Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Blue Horse Head’. However, only two colours were required for; Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Head I’ and Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Head II’. The power of these drawings removes the need for any kind of elaboration.
Following a trip to Australia in 1990 Elisabeth Frink’s screen prints became earthier in colour. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Baboon’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Red Dog’. Another technique she used at this time was ‘pepper pot aquatint’. Which involves dusting pigment into a surface coated with glue, as shown in; Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Grey Horse Head’. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Man and Horse’.
Dame Elisabeth Frink’s final group of images were ‘The Green Man Series’. Ill with throat cancer and having been given a book on the green man which is all about regeneration and rebirth. She became fascinated by the idea and so decided to devote her next group of prints to this area which was so emotional and instinctively close to her. Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Green Man’ (grey). Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Green Man’ (black). Elisabeth Frink, print, signed ‘Green Man’ (red). Elisabeth frink, print, signed ‘Green Man (blue).
Although Elisabeth Frink is regarded primarily as a sculptor, her prints are unquestionably a vital part of her ‘oeuvre’, and provide rich insights into the career of one of England’s most significant twentieth-century British artists. They express the essence of her life and work.