You Again by Howard Hodgkin, b.1932

Howard Hodgkin, b.1932
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You Again

Original hand-painted lift-ground etching with aquatint and carborundum in colours. 2001. Signed with the monogram and dated in pencil. Numbered (1) from the edition of 50 in
pencil. (There were also 21 proofs). Printed by the artist with Jack Shirreff. Published by Alan Cristea, 2001.

Excellent impression in perfect condition. On special hand-made 'Two Rivers' paper. Perfect condition. Worked to the full sheet size, as issued. Sheet: 11x14ins (280x355mm).

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Since his exhibition in 1984 at the Venice Biennale Hodgkin has become recognised throughout the world as one of the outstanding British artists of the late 20th century. The essence of Hodgkin's art is the experience of a moment, and his style is to use free sweeping strokes to create an abstract imagery which expresses the emotion of that moment. Since the 1970's he has worked on prints with an enthusiasm parallel to that for his painting. He has also said that he finds print making emotionally more taxing than painting. In his painting the image evolves as he works on the canvas, so that although he knows in his mind the experience that he wants to portray he does not really know the exact form of the final image until he puts the last stroke on the canvas. In his printmaking he finds that his ideas have to be more formulated, but his fascination with the effects of multiple plates and of the variation of hand painting on each image gives the medium a very individual and unique inspiration.

One hallmark of Hodgkin's work is his wonderful use of brilliant colour. In his prints this is achieved with heavy inking on two or three separate plates, which are overprinted, and then by direct hand retouching. In his most recent prints this has reached a climax of sparkling freshness and colour.

'You Again' is one of a group of small scale prints on which Hodgkin was working this year. It shows this use of multiple overprinted highly textured plates, inked in the most brilliant and emotional colours, and finished with hand-painting on each impression. It is a sparkling example of the extraordinary vitality and visual excitement of Hodgkin's most recent work.