Sir Terry Frost RA (1915-2003)
A leading exponent of British abstract art, one of the most important artists of his generation.
Born in Leamington Spa he left school at fourteen working in a cycle shop and for the manufacturing company Armstrong Whitworth. He served in the commandos in World War II and was captured in June 1941 in Crete. At Stalag 383 in Bavaria he was taught to paint by Adrian Heath.
Upon liberation he went to Brimingham College of Art, but soon moved to Camberwell School of Art under Leonard Fuller, considering it to be more forward-thinking. 1946 was spent at St Ives School of Painting, holding his first solo exhibition, and then he returned to Camberwell. There Victor Pasmore, Ben Nicholson and William Coldstream encouraged him towards abstraction. Finishing his course he returned to St Ives and worked as an assistant to Barbara Hepworth, the sculptor. Roger Hilton joined him there and they collaborated in collage and construction techniques.
Although an abstractionist, Frost’s works were always rooted in his real everyday-life experiences, as representations of fields, roads, boats and even traffic signs.
He became Gregory Fellow on Painting at the University of Leeds from 1954-56 and the northern countryside had a strong influence on his art. His paintings became yellow, from the fields of ripe corn, and he adopted small spiral forms that were living organisms. He joined the London Group in 1958, whilst still in Leeds, and then returned to St Ives for a period. Finding money somewhat tight, he moved in 1963 to Banbury to a house large enough for his six children, later becoming Professor of Painting at the University of Reading. Again, the experience changed his painting, and he became fixated on the road signs and heraldic shields that he saw in the towns and villages around.
He was elected Royal Academician in 1992, being knighted in 1998.
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Sir Terry Frost (1915-2003) Bottle and Statue Oil on board c. 1947 38 x 46cm A distinctive still life featuring bottle, statue, and drapery. Terry Frost was a prominent British abstract artist. Frost is most noted for his simplistic abstract forms and unusual colour; he worked alongside the St Ives group and as Barbara Hepworth's assistant for several years, his artistic style being heavily influenced by them. In 1992 he became a Royal Academician, and he was made Sir Terry Frost in 1998. Bottle and Statue highlights Frost's unique compositional skill. His brushwork makes the statue seem like a real nude, who, framed by turquoise and ochre draperies, examines the still life in the foreground. An early work, painted shortly after the War and prior to his adoption of abstraction. For other works by Frost and biographical details please click here. Condition: A little craquelure in the oil above the statue's head.
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Terry Frost (1915-2003)
Autumnal Landscape in Red, Black and Yellow
Watercolour 40 x 58 cm Signed and dated 1958 Framed in hand-finished grey 'Nicholson' butt-jointed frame. Click here for biographical details and other works by the artist. If you are interested email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056. In 1954 Frost moved to Leeds to become Gregory Fellow at the University. This began a period when he painted yellow and black and white paintings, inspired by the Yorkshire landscape. In 1958 he joined the London group and then moved to St Ives. This painting dates to this era.