Celia Reclining
Signed Print

In contrast to Hockney’s other portraits of Celia Birtwell in the Gemini G.E.L 1979 Portfolio, Celia Reclining feels closer to a quick sketch than a lithograph. While Celia Elegant and Celia Musing show the textile designer in a formal pose, rendered in loose inky brushstrokes, here we are presented with a more intimate portrayal of Hockney’s close friend and muse. Curled up in a chair, Birtwell is shown at rest, one arm pulled back as if stretching or in mid conversation, distracted from the role of the sitter. Her eyes are turned away from us and we feel like we have caught her unawares. While Birtwell's hair and body are made up of faint lines Hockney chooses to change style for her face, adding a depth to her lips that highlights the minimalism of the rest of her body. In this way the work recalls Ann Combing Her Hairfrom the same series where the sitter’s garment is given more attention than her face. This is one of seven portraits of Birtwell in the portfolio and represents Hockney’s fondness for her as both friend and sitter, whom he once described as having “a very rare face with lots of things in it which appeal to me.”