Gregory Reclining
Gregory Reclining
Signed Print
David Hockney
POA
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Lithograph, 1976
Signed Print Edition of 28
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Critical Review
Gregory Reclining is a signed lithograph by David Hockney, produced in 1976 and released in an edition size of 28. In this print, Hockney’s lifelong friend and lover, Gregory Evans, is seen leaning on a heap of cushions in a boldly exposed pose. Executed in crisp contour lines, the bodily posture renders the model relaxed and, at the same time, pensive. With his head turned to the right, Evans looks wistfully at an indefinite point somewhere further before him. Because his reclining body is directed towards the left, the fact that Evans turns his head in an opposite direction suggests his awareness of the artist’s gaze. Although the man appears pensive and immersed in thoughts, it also looks like he deliberately chooses to expose his right profile to the viewer.
Considering the uninhibited exposure of the naked male body in the picture, the portrait can be seen to represent one of Hockney’s boldest takes on the subject of intimacy and same-sex desire. Located against a plain background and at the very forefront of the print, the male body here holds a special presence. Given the minimalism of the scene, the viewer is encouraged to focus attention entirely on the implicit eroticism and intimacy conveyed by the image of Evan’s reclining body. Hockney and Evans’ friendship continues until today and the artist’s extensive exhibition 82 Portraits And 1 Still-life at the Royal Academy in 2016 featured Gregory in a large-size, acrylic painting.
