Lynx 1970

Curator: This is Dame Elisabeth Frink's "Lynx," currently residing in the Tate Collections. It projects a certain quiet power, doesn't it? Editor: It does. The light wash and sparse mark-making give it a feeling of vulnerability despite its predatory nature. What materials did she use? Curator: The image itself measures about 520 by 655 mm. Frink's reduction of form accentuates the lynx as a creature of myth, not just a physical being. The orange eye seems to pierce through time. Editor: Interesting point. I’m drawn to the layered quality of the marks – the way the dark lines and spots overlay the pale wash gives it a tactile depth. It’s clearly a work of material engagement, not just observation. Curator: Perhaps it reveals the enduring allure of the wild, the untamed aspects that linger within us. A kind of psychological projection. Editor: I appreciate how she distilled such a complex animal to its essence through such simple means. It reminds me of cave paintings, a direct connection to the animal through mark-making. Curator: Precisely. This piece has certainly offered me a fresh perspective on Frink's vision. Editor: Indeed, seeing the animal through the lens of process makes it even more alive.