Frank Hodgkinson was born in Sydney in 1919. From 1936 to 1938 he studied at the RAS of NSW, Sydney, under Anthony Datillo Rubbo. From 1940 to 1946 he was an official Australian war artist. Hodgkinson lived in many places including London, Paris, Rome and the USA before settling in Australia in 1971. From 1971, Frank’s work reflects his return to Australian landscapes, where he journeyed to remote areas such as the Coorong, Flinders Ranges, Lake Eyre and the Kimberleys, with Arnhem Land becoming an annual trip from 1987 to 1989. During this period he completed and published a number of illustrated diaries from these trips, including “Kakadu and the Arnhem Landers”, which reflects his admiration of Aboriginal life, art and culture, “Sepik Diary” and “Paris Sketchbook”. (from earlier travels).
References:
Alan McCulloch, Susan McCulloch, Emily McCulloch-Childs. The New McCulloch’s Encyclopedia of Australian Art. 4th Edition, Aus Art Melbourne & The Miegunyah Press, 2006. Page 525.
Germaine, Max. Artists and Galleries of Australia, Volumes 1 & 2, Third Edition. Craftsman Press, Sydney, 1990. Page 318.
Campbell, Jean. Australian Watercolour Painters: 1780 to the Present Day. Craftsman House, Sydney, 1989. Page 324.