Howard Hodgkin (1932-2017)
Howard Hodgkin is a British printmaker and painter. Born in London in 1932, Hodgkin studied at the Camberwell School of Art and the Bath Academy of Art. It was not until he was 30 years old that he began exhibiting seriously. His first solo show was in London in 1962, where he showed hard-edged curved forms, in a limited palette. He taught for some years are the Charterhouse School and the Bath Academy of Art, as well as, the Chelsea School of Art.
His works are usually small in scale, and offer a gestural painting style with flat colors. He references his own memories and private experiences, but deliberately avoids the illustrational. His work appears spontaneous and expressive, but they are the result of methodical practice, sometimes taking years to complete. His titles reference moments in his life, and he has said that he paints “representational pictures of emotional situations.”
Hodgkin’s printmaking career was dominated by a preference for screen-printing and lithography in the 60’s and 70’s. More recently, he has been favoring etchings and aquatint, because of their emphasis on texture. He creates a layered effect to his prints by hand-coloring the image after printing. He has worked with master printer, Jack Shirreff, and publisher, Alan Cristea Gallery, for 25 years.
Hodgkin is a recipient of the prestigious Turner Prize in 1985 and exhibited in the Venice Biennale in 1984. He was knighted, Sir Howard Hodgkin in 1992. The Tate Gallery has an impressive collection of his works in their permanent collection.