Arch 1971

This is Hodgkin's 'Arch', but when exactly it was made or using what, I couldn't rightly tell you. It’s an image built from feeling; Hodgkin painted his emotional response to a place, so he never actually painted 'from' nature, just from memory. Check out that electric blue border, the way it vibrates against the red, yellow and green. Hodgkin was a master of color and how the juxtaposition of hues can be a powerful language in itself. Notice how areas are built up from blocks of pure color, flat and opaque, yet still full of depth. Look at the green section running through the yellow, there’s a real sense of the artist's hand at play here, the marks are almost scribbled with an open, almost playful quality. This reminds me of Matisse, with his bold use of color and simplified forms to express mood and sensation rather than representation. I think Hodgkin and Matisse both encourage us to let go of our need for fixed meanings and embrace the joy of seeing.