Rose Wylie: King John, Frog

King John, Frog, 2017
Edition of 85 (plus artist proofs)
Signed by the artist
Materials: Lithograph
Dimensions: 49.5 x 76 cm
Print is unframed

'I like frogs, there don't seem to be a lot about any more. This image was triggered by a television programme on King John, who was not popularly considered a good king at the time. The story has it that some monks decided to get rid of him by extracting poison from a frog, disguising it in wine and offering it to a travel-worn king. So this frog is both historically fixed and an example of a contemporary frog drawing, similar to that shown on the programme to catch and embody the historical fact. A suitable subject for schools... green colour for frogs, lateral politics and endangered species; with an apparently random 'King John' written into the print, but in fact there to establish connection and scholarship, and to encourage discussion.' - Rose Wylie

Launched in 2018 by The Hepworth Wakefield, School Prints is an ambitious five-year project to engage every primary school child in Wakefield District with contemporary art. Each year, the participating schools are gifted a set of limited-edition prints by leading contemporary artists for display in school and are supported with an in-depth engagement programme led by local artists to encourage creativity across the curriculum.

School Prints is inspired by a ground-breaking scheme set up in the 1940s where artists, including Henri Matisse, Henry Moore and Pablo Picasso, were commissioned to create prints specifically for schools to allow children to have direct access to high-quality art. Artists who have taken part in The Hepworth Wakefield’s revival of the scheme include Fiona Banner, Sir Peter Blake, Sir Michael Craig-Martin, Martin Creed, Jeremy Deller, Anthea Hamilton, Helen Marten, Haroon Mirza, Laure Prouvost, Linder Sterling, Francis Upritchard, Richard Wentworth and Rose Wylie.

Looking to spread the cost? Pay £50 a month for 10 months with an Own Art interest free loan.

(Price inclusive of VAT)