Dinner at Smith Square

Notes: In an undated note in the artist’s archives, Hodgkin describes this painting as follows: “This is a picture of 2 very old friends of mine talking to each other below a small painting by Bonnard. The husband is on the left of the painting leaning slightly back from the table and his wife sits upright on the other side. The picture was started in monochrome because the hero was once heard to say ‘How beautiful is a picture painted only in black and white!’ But more colour became necessary as time went on. Their life is full of art”.