Description
Hybrid II by Christian Hook
Hand signed equestrian limited edition print by the incredible artist Christian Hook. Taken from a numbered limited edition of just 49 examples, each copy is signed by the artist and complete with a certificate of authenticity.
On a visit to Mykonos in Greece, Christian Hook created a ‘Hybrid’ series of equine portraits. During his time on the island he was struck by the ways in which ancient Greek sculptors had given their animals human features, particularly around the eyes, to make them more relatable to us. He had already noted this approach in the drawings of Leonardo da Vinci, who infused his drawings with the theatrical characteristics of human actors on a stage. Hook began sketching horses on his iPad, discovering a previously unexpected eidetic memory – the ability to recall an image with high accuracy after seeing it only once, and for a short period of time which allowed him to draw without reference. (The term comes from the Greek word eidos, which means ‘visible form’.)
Having recently suffered a close personal bereavement, he found this process creatively liberating as it allowed his intuition and imagination to take control; he noticed too that the memories felt unfamiliar, almost as though they didn’t belong to him. The experience made these more than mere paintings; for Hook they became deeply personal reflections of his journey through life’s highs and lows He went on to print his sketches onto textured paper using gel mediums and mixed media, working over them to push beyond the mere representation of the horse, then recreating them with oils on large aluminium panels.
Each of the ‘hybrid’ pieces is now available in an exclusive edition of 49 on textured paper, measuring 30×30”. While each one makes a strong impact as a standalone piece, they are extraordinarily powerful when displayed in pairs or larger groupings.
