Portrait Of Mother III
Portrait Of Mother III
Signed Print
David Hockney
£6,000-£9,000
$12,500-$18,000 Value Indicator
$11,000-$17,000 Value Indicator
¥60,000-¥90,000 Value Indicator
€7,000-€10,500 Value Indicator
$60,000-$90,000 Value Indicator
¥1,180,000-¥1,780,000 Value Indicator
$8,000-$12,000 Value Indicator
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51 x 44cm, Edition of 25, Lithograph
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Meaning & Analysis
Portrait Of Mother III is a signed lithograph by David Hockney, created in 1985 and released in an edition size of 25. Hockney’s tender portrait of his elderly mother, Laura, sees the artist returning to crisp linear outlines and a minimalist use of pastel colours, the two features characterising his 1970s idiom established through such works as Gregory (1978) and Portrait Of Shinro Ohtake (1978).
The artist’s portrait of his mother makes her tender, contemplative gaze a central feature of the portrait. The eyes of the woman occupy the most central part of the image, their brightness, connoting a sense of joy and youthfulness against subtle signs of aging. The mesmerising colour of the irises immediately draws the viewer’s attention as the surrounding outlines of the attire and hair, rendered in similar tones of blue, enhance the impression of eyes and gaze holding the central place in the picture.
Hockney’s choice to represent his mother with the use of vibrant pastel lines not only contributes to a formal beauty of the composition but also links the subject to an ageless sense of radiance. Although the woman’s facial expression appears wistful, the undertone of the portrait differs from the artists’ earlier depictions of Laura. Hockney’s play with colours reconciles the melancholy of the gaze with a dimension of lightheartedness.