λ Dame Elisabeth Frink (British 1930-1993) Pilgrim Bronze with a brown patina Signed and numbered 7/8 (on the base) 23 x 33cm (9 x 12 in.) Conceived in 1983. Provenance: The Everard Read Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa Private Collection, London (acquired from the above by the present owner) Thence by descent to the present owners Literature: Annette Ratuszniak, Elisabeth Frink Catalogue Raisonne of Sculpture 1947-93, London, 2013, p. 159, no. 318, illustration of another cast In 1984, Frink explained in her catalogue raisonné, 'What I have tried to make clear in my sculptures for the last five years is the way in which feeling, expression, even force and energy, should be below the surface. The outer skin may define more or less conventional features, but with a second look should indicate the complex strain of nerve-endings and the anticipatory reflexes of something about to happen.' [Elisabeth Frink, Sculpture: Catalogue Raisonné, 1984, p.33] After studying at Guildford School of Art in 1947, Frink enrolled at the Chelsea School of Art under the tutelage of Julian Trevelyan, Ceri Richards and John Berger. Immersing herself in this creative environment Frink began experimenting in plaster creating sculptures of men and animals. Her early works caught the attention of 'The Geometry of Fear' sculptors who included Lynn Chadwick and Kenneth Armitage. Frink became associated with this group who had been labelled by the art critic Herbert Read. Frink soon became known for her strong depictions of male figures. These sculptures encapsulated both the heroism and fragility of man. Her childhood experience growing up during the first world war was to have a great impact on her work. Frink's father was an officer in the 7th Dragoon Guards and she spent her childhood growing up near an airbase in Suffolk. Numerous air raids and crashes exposed Frink to an enormity of brutality and bloodshed which invoked fear, experiences which came to be reflected in her sculptures. Her sculptures embodied strong, purposeful and athletic men usually shown in a stance of standing, walking or running. However, the outer layer with his textured surface reveals a more vulnerable side to the bronzes, described as exposed flesh. The vacant facial expressions and moments of movement caught in time represent the shell shock and effects of war over time, crossing this bridge between heroism and vulnerability. Pilgrim sculpted in 1983 captures this strength of the male form. His feet firmly on the ground the 'pilgrim' makes no advance frozen in a moment of time. The work is from a series of 8 editions and a similar composition can be found in Shepherd and Sheep (FCR317) also created in 1983 which shows a similar figure, but with the addition of a flock of sheep and a crook in the figure's right hand. Condition Report: Light surface dust and dirt. Otherwise no significant condition issues. Condition Report Disclaimer