DAME ELISABETH FRINK, R.A. (1930-1993)

Frink’s interest in the relationship between man and animals, particularly horses and dogs, remained a central theme throughout her career. As a keen horsewoman, she was familiar with the form of the horse, but the dog fascinated her too ‘because they’ve been man’s friend for thousands of years’ (the artist quoted in A. Ratuszniak, op. cit., p. 4).

In 1957, Frink first explored the motif of a blind man following his dog. Blind Beggar and Dog, the life size sculpture commissioned by Bethnal Green Borough Council, for which there is also a maquette, was based on the famous ballad ‘The Blind Beggar of Bethnal Green’. In it, their tentative moments are at the other extreme from her bronzes which celebrate the power and freedom of wild animals. The present work followed, exhibiting the same sensitivity as the dog’s head is held alert, as though sniffing the air.