British Council British Council Visual Arts

Terry Frost was born in Leamington Spa in Warwickshire. He left school at the age of 14 and had a variety of jobs, including working in a cycle shop and the paint workshop of an aircraft factory. At the outbreak of war he joined up, serving as a Commando until he was captured in Crete in 1941. He was later transferred to Stalag 383 in Bavaria. Here he joined the painting classes run by fellow PoWs and met the painter Adrian Heath who encouraged him to paint in oils; Heath became a life-long supporter and friend. Frost was principally linked with the St Ives group of painters and his association with Roger Hilton, Patrick Heron, Ben Nicholson and others had a lasting impact on his art. Much of the formal quality of his early work had its origins in his response to his surroundings in Cornwall, shapes derived from ships and nautical tackle, rocks and sea, gulls and gorse. Inevitably he developed a strong feeling for the clarity of Cornish light and sharply defined forms and brilliant colours are characteristics of his work, which was always responsive to movement in time and space.

Further reading:
Terry Frost: Six Deacdes, Royal Academy of Arts, London 2000