Mrs Nicholas Monro 1969

Howard Hodgkin made "Mrs. Nicholas Monro" with oil on board, using a palette of bright, bold colors, clearly enjoying the act of applying the paint. The surface has this tactile quality, like you can almost feel the brushstrokes even though it's smooth. Those blues are so intense and contrasted with the stripes in the lower right, they’re not just shapes; they’re moods! And that snaking form in the top left – pink, red, and white – is so sensual and kind of funny! It’s like the painting is winking at you, saying, "Hey, art doesn’t have to be so serious, does it?" Hodgkin reminds me a little of Patrick Heron, especially in the way both artists use color to create these dazzling, almost dizzying compositions. But Hodgkin brings his own kind of swagger to it, embracing abstraction without losing that emotional punch. For Hodgkin, painting isn't just about what you see, but how you feel.