Beschreibung:

Howard Hodgkin Rhode Island 2000-2002 oil on panel 203 x 267 cm (79 7/8 x 105 1/8 in.) Signed, titled and dated 'Howard Hodgkin "Rhode Island" 2000-2002' on the reverse.
Provenance Gagosian Gallery, New York Acquired from the above by the present owner Exhibited Edinburgh, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Howard Hodgkin Large Paintings, 1984-2002, 7 August-6 October 2002 New York, Gagosian Gallery, Howard Hodgkin Paintings, 8 September-20 December 2003 Berlin, Galerie Haas & Fuchs, Howard Hodgkin Paintings, 18 September-30 October, 2004 London, Tate Britain, Howard Hodgkin 14 June-17 September 2006 Madrid, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Howard Hodgkin 18 November 2006-8 January 2007 Literature Howard Hodgkin Large Paintings, 1984-2002, exh. cat., Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh, 2002, no. 20 (illustrated in colour) Howard Hodgkin exh. cat., Gagosian Gallery, New York, 2003 p. 45 (illustrated in colour) Howard Hodgkin exh. cat., Galerie Haas & Fuchs, Berlin, 2004, (illustrated in colour) M. Price, Howard Hodgkin The Complete Paintings, London: Thames & Hudson, 2006, p. 360-61 (illustrated in colour) Video Howard Hodgkin ‘Rhode Island’, 2000-2002 Matt Langton, 20th Century & Contemporary Art Specialist, discusses Howard Hodgkin's 'Rhode Island', 2000-2002 from our Spring 2016 Evening Sale at Phillips Berkeley Square. Catalogue Essay Howard Hodgkin's Rhode Island was painted between 2000 and 2002 and is the largest work by the artist ever to come to auction. This is a splendid example of a painting from this important period of Hodgkin's career, as is reflected in its inclusion in the 2006 retrospective of his work held at Tate Britain, London, in 2006. Rhode Island perfectly demonstrates the bold and expressive use of colour and the novel relationship to the picture surface that has marked some of Hodgkin's greatest works. Hodgkin has developed a unique painterly style over an extensive career spanning sixty years. Although always unique and instantly recognisable, his paintings have distinct periods, moving from a crisp Pop art style, to expressive colouristic, frame-inclusive paintings and on to the large scale works dating from the turn of the century to which Rhode Island belongs. Once Hodgkin's talent was recognised, he was elevated to the heights of his fellow Modern British painters, joining the likes of Auerbach, Bacon, Freud and Kossoff as one of the great champions of 20th Century British painting. This status was reinforced in 1984 when Hodgkin represented Great Britain at the Venice Biennale and went on to win the Turner Prize in 1985. Rhode Island is part of a series that Hodgkin painted at the end of the 20th Century which was influenced by the time he had spent as a child in America. While several of the works are titled after lyrics of the classic western song Home, Home on the Range, others such as Rhode Island are named after areas with special meaning to Hodgkin, adding an intensely personal dimension to this picture. Consisting of deep, vibrant colours, Rhode Island draws the viewer in through its blue framing into the main arena of the composition. Through his expressive brushwork, Hodgkin allows the strong orange and the depth of the black to imbue the painting with a glowing, atmospheric warmth. The composition is punctuated by the dotting at the bottom, a typical Hodgkin technique which has become a form of signature for the artist and which adds a dynamism and rhythm to the picture. In Rhode Island, the brushstroke is expressive, yet the image is collapsed against the wood, accentuated by the untouched areas. This not only shows the influence of the abstract art of the post-war period, using the primed but untouched board itself within the dialogue of the painting, but also reinforces Hodgkin’s status as a leading colourist: the merging of vibrant and ominous colours becomes the focus of the work. The spontaneous nature of Rhode Island is evident through the artist’s brushstroke and his medium: Hodgkin adds Liquin to his oil paint, which assists with its drying. This permits greater flow to the paint, allowing more movement wi