Black Palm
Black Palm
Signed Print
Howard Hodgkin
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124 x 150cm, Edition of 40, Lithograph
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Meaning & Analysis
This signed lithograph from 1986 is a rare, limited edition of 40 from Howard Hodgkin’s Palms series. The horizontal print presents to the viewer a dynamic and energetic semi-representational depiction of a palm tree. The tree, which occupies the majority of the print surface, is marked by abstract and highly expressive black brushstrokes, and is framed by a blue circle punctuated by black dots.
Unlike the other prints in the series, Black Palm is characterised by dark and sombre tone, that are close to the ones Hodgkin used for his All Alone In The Museum Of Modern Art series. Known for his vivid and colourful palette, Hodgkin rarely indulged in monochromatic black tones. And yet, the artist repeatedly recounted that he particularly enjoyed those rare instances where he could use darker hues, for the prints resembled much more closely what he envisioned at the start of the printing process, when he only had the printing plates as reference for the final image.
In this print, Hodgkin’s language of abstraction and gestural expressiveness reaches some of its best visual expressions. In the outline of the palm, the viewer can almost imagine Hodgkin’s brash brushstroke as it marked the printing plate, not bound to any formal concern.