Image:
Frank Crozier (c. 1883 – 1948)
Dead beat (1918)
50.6 x 61 cm (image)
collection Australian War Memorial.
Frank R. Crozier was a cartoonist, illustrator, painter and draughtsman from Maryborough, Victoria. He is best known for his contributions to the Australian military as both a Private and artist.
Pre-WWI, Crozier began his artistic career as a church interior decorator before working as a bank clerk. During this time, he attended life drawing classes and studied at the National Gallery of Victoria Art School in 1905. Crozier remained there until 1907, receiving student prizes for landscape and drawing.
In 1914, as the Great War commenced, Crozier was enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). He was transferred to Egypt in May 1915, followed by Gallipoli in September with the 22nd Australian Infantry Battalion. Here his artistic talents were recognized by AIF correspondent Charles E.W. Bean through his illustrative contributions to the ANZAC book. In 1916, he was transferred to Marseilles, France to work with the 1st ANZAC Corps Topographical Section. In France he served as a runner, a role that exposed him to a wide variety of war imagery, most notably the Battle of Pozieres. In 1918, he was appointed official war artist and honorary lieutenant. From 1917 until 1919, Crozier was attached to the Australian War Records Section at administrative headquarters in London, before finally returning to Australia.
Croziers’ style combines elements of realist and impressionist styles, with his detailed interpretations of soldiers upon abstracted backdrops. His work can be identified by vibrant undertones, long, painterly strokes composing the landscapes and subjects in the foreground which often face away from the viewer’s gaze. Croziers was often praised for his humanist approach to warfare, creating scenes that ignite empathy, drawn from his direct interaction with battle. His work allows present day reflection upon the forefront of a war zone whilst understanding the human values that guided it.
Emma Holland
References
Australian War Memorial,. 2016. “Private Frank Rossiter Crozier | Australian War Memorial”. Australian War Memorial. https://www.awm.gov.au/people/P10676272/.
Crozier, Frank P. 1989. A Brass Hat In No Man’s Land. Norwich, Norfolk: Gliddon Books.
Messenger, Charles. 2013. Broken Sword: The Tumultuous Life Of General Frank Crozier 1897-1937. Pen and Sword Military.
Artists of the Great War 