Whistler 1998

Gary Hume made Whistler using screen printing techniques and a limited colour palette to create something so simple, and yet so powerful. I can imagine him working on this, paring down the image, reducing it to only the most essential elements: the pale blue background, the olive green shapes hinting at a face, hands perhaps? It's kind of like he’s playing peek-a-boo with us, isn't it? The texture is so smooth and flat. There are no brushstrokes here, just clean, crisp shapes. It’s a little like Ellsworth Kelly, but with a human presence. Those eyes staring back at us are kind of unnerving, and also so playful. They look like my eyes when I'm trying to be coy, and that green feels like an avocado. I think, as painters, we’re always in conversation with each other, borrowing ideas, and pushing boundaries. And Hume is doing just that here. This piece makes me want to be more bold and more simple.