Howard Hodgkin, Green Thoughts, Alan Cristea Gallery, London

Howard Hodgkin, Green Thoughts, Alan Cristea Gallery, London

Alan Cristea Gallery presents Green Thoughts: a showcase of new work by one of Britain’s most admired abstract painters and printmakers, Howard Hodgkin. Previous Turner Prize-winner, British representative at the 1984 Venice Biennale, and CBE for his services to the arts, Hodgkin is an artist not to be missed. In his latest exhibition, 19 limited editions, including a special hand-painted carborundum relief entitled For Alan (2014), are revealed to the public for the first time. Printed in seven colour variations, these new works are a testament to both Hodgkin’s inspiring creative achievements, and his close long-standing working relationship with gallery owner and publisher Alan Cristea.
Known for his painterly reflections on themes of memory and personal experience, the show’s title, Green Thoughts, references the poetry of Andrew Marvell, a 17th century English poet and politician, who once wrote a poem called The Garden. In Hodgkin’s deliberate avoidance of the illustrative, the artist draws inspiration from Marvell’s own ‘green thoughts’, generating a new series of work full of gestural mark-making, vibrant colours and evocative titles, such as Storm Cloud and Sundown. Also featured in this new presentation of work is a unique hand-painted version of the 20ft etching, As Time Goes By (2009). Whilst Hodgkin’s works have the appearance of spontaneity, they are the result of extensive layering and complex print methods: a process the artist has continually explored throughout his elaborate career. This exhibition invites an engaging contemplation of human encounters with nature, through Hodgkin’s visually gestural immediacy and lusciously organic oeuvres.

Howard Hodgkin, Green Thoughts, until 15 November, Alan Cristea Gallery, 31 & 34 Cork Street, London

Further information can be found at www.alancristea.com

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Credits
1. Howard Hodgkin, Green Thought (2014). Courtesy of Howard Hodgkin and Alan Cristea Gallery.