Dame Elisabeth Frink

Description

Horse and Rider 1969 was the first of Elisabeth Frink's sculptures on this theme. She began to explore the subject in France in 1969 where her husband owned a vineyard, and the work reflects the sense of well-being that she experienced when in the country and in particular when she was with horses.

The Horse and Rider subject provided Frink with the possibility of combining the most desirable of masculine qualities with those of the most beautiful of man's fellow creatures; free sensuality, intelligence, loyalty, affection, speed, resilience, beauty and courage. The empathy between man and beast also seems to be underlined in their shared and complementary qualities The horse and the male figure recurred in Frink's work throughout her working life.

Frink's affection for horses stemmed from her country childhood in Suffolk. Her father was a brilliant horseman, a good polo player and an amateur jockey, which may well have added to an enthusiasm which continued throughout her life.