Books for the Paris Review, 1998

Often associated with abstraction, Howard Hodgkin was a highly acclaimed painter and printmaker known for his rich interplay between ground, colour and gesture. Hodgkin was heavily influenced by the works of such artists as Matisse and Picasso and his own works were almost always painted upon the backs of old picture frames – this, along with his use of vibrant colour and expressive brush marks, created an interesting relationship between the painted frame and its base; Rain and Indian Subject Blue are just two examples of this technique. Asides from painting, Hodgkin was an accomplished print-maker – his printing was often labour-intensive and intricate, as demonstrated in his Venetian Views series; this work consists of four different prints depicting Venice at four separate times of day – Venice, Afternoon is perhaps the most notable among this series as it is displayed across sixteen separate sheets and the rich colour used throughout gives the work a painterly effect. (Artist website)