Pelican, 2004

Peter Doig is a highly acclaimed figurative painter, with works that often depict landscapes or human figures inspired by photography – be it his own or sourced - and imbued with his own personal experiences. Such personal objects as canoes feature heavily in Doig’s works (canoes are a nod to his time spent living in Canada) and although his works are figurative, they often retain a sense of dream-like mysticism due to their deeply reflective and intimate effect – White Canoe, an oil on canvas painting, encapsulates this mysticism perfectly. Further highlighting Doig’s autobiographical imprint upon his works is his Lapeyrouse Wall piece; this painting was created after Doig’s move to Trinidad and features the crumbling wall of Lapeyrouse cemetery, so named after the island’s first sugar estate founder and a stark reminder of the colonial history of Trinidad. Influenced by artists including Monet, Munch and Klimt, Doig’s art is in the vein of post-impressionism with his own added flair. (Artist website)