Inside The Castle
Signed Print

Reognisable from works such as A Black Cat Leapingand Cold Water About To Hit The Prince, a boy is shown sat on a simple throne, his right arm cast out to the right, his head in profile. He wears a simple smock composed of finely etched scribbles which complements the cross hatched background and floor. Behind him looms a sinister figure in a dark coat and top hat. His arms are raised, his fingers curled, in the classic pose of someone attempting to cause a fright. But while his gestures are somewhat comical, his expression is perhaps more unsettling, his eyes wide and his mouth open and grinning in derangement. Tufts of hair fall from under his hat, adding further humour to his pose, the drama of which is dampened by the boy’s unperturbed expression. After all this is the protagonist of the story titled ‘The Boy Who Left Home to Learn Fear’. Inside The Castle is one of 39 illustrations Hockney published in 1969 to accompany six tales from the classic Brothers Grimm collection. The works show his mastery of etching as a medium, where he skilfully conveys a range of human expressions, detailed interiors and serene landscapes in his familiar monochrome style.