Cold Water About To Hit The Prince
Signed Print

The canopy of a four poster bed frames – and sets – the scene. A naked youth is shown half propped up against plump pillows, his face blank and yet strangely expectant as a splash of water approaches him from the left hand side of the composition. The imminence of the disturbance jostles with the serenity of the scene, the sense of comfort and luxury conveyed by the white sheets and the coverlet. From the cross hatching of the bed frame to the wash of ink used to represent water, the work is a tour de force of Hockney's printmaking skills. Originally published in 1969 Illustrations For Six Fairy Tales From The Brothers Grimm has become one of the artist’s most beloved print series. Produced in a signed edition of 100, Cold Water About To Hit The Prince shows an episode from the story titled ‘The Boy Who Left Home to Learn Fear’ and is one of the 39 prints that make up the series which was later turned into a book that has sold over 150,000 copies since it was published. As with A Rake’s Progress Hockney’s style and imagination were perfectly suited to this subject and many of his illustrations have become synonymous with the fairy tales they represent.