Maurice, 1998

In their print projects, Maurice Payne encouraged Hockney to work in innovative ways. Here, the artist’s characteristic line drawing, so well suited to the etching technique, is combined with the use of unconventional tools such as a wire brush to create texture and volume. Print production was a process of discovery for both Payne and Hockney. "We learned as we went along," the master printer later revealed. The expressive mark-making, as well as the sitter’s full-frontal pose, suggests the influence of Van Gogh’s portraits.