In Scotland

Howard Hodgkin is one of the most distinguished painters. He first came to prominence in the 1960s, when his colourful and highly patterned depictions of people - usually in domestic interiors -were linked to the Pop Art movement. Subsequently his work became increasingly abstract, using superimposed and enclosing colours and often loose forms to evoke the memories of visits and meetings, and feelings of pleasure and pain.' Even if we are unable to share the memories of Hodgkin, his ability to use paint to evoke a mood allows us to tap into our own memories and associations. This gouache was painted after a visit Hodgkin made to Scotland in 2003. The picture includes a traditional framing device, a yellow rectangle, which has the effect of pushing the 'view' beyond into the distance, like a memory of windswept Scottish hills and cloudy skies. The red in the foreground is suggestive of people and of vivid and warm recollections. The work is inscribed 'For Anthony'.