Celia Inquiring

As with Celia Elegant, this portrait shows the textile designer artfully posed in an antique chair. With her head turned away from the viewer she appears to be mid conversation, or as the title suggests, inquiring about something to someone out of shot. The pose allows Hockney to demonstrate his skill at capturing figures at ease; Birtwell's slight twist of the body and joined knees create a beautiful contraposto effect that lends dynamism to the composition. Outlined in watery brushstrokes, the elegant lines of her curls and her legs are emphasised by the drapery of her dress and the curves of the chair. This is one of seven portraits of Birtwell in the series which is notable for including just one portrait of a man. In contrast with earlier series such as Friends, this portfolio presents us with portraits of Hockney’s closest female friends, Celia Birtwell and Ann Upton, in a loose style that recalls the work of Matisse and Toulouse Lautrec combined with an intimacy that seems to reference Degas’ paintings and sketches of women in interiors. Here we find the sitter completely at ease in the artist’s presence, reflecting the bond the two shared. Speaking of his love for Celia as both friend and sitter, Hockney said, ‘[she] has a beautiful face, a very rare face with lots of things in it which appeal to me. It shows aspects of her, like her intuitive knowledge and her kindness, which I think is the greatest virtue. To me she’s such a special person.”