Portrait of Mother I, from The Moving Focus Series, 1985, is an intimate lithograph portrait depicting David Hockney’s mother seated calmly in a patterned armchair. Wearing a dark green jumper with a white collar, she is shown with her hands gently crossed in her lap, her expression warm and attentive as she looks directly towards the viewer. Hockney uses loose black outlines and soft areas of colour to construct the portrait, with rosy pink tones defining her cheeks and face, while her white hair is rendered through energetic linear marks. The patterned chair behind her introduces a decorative backdrop that contrasts with the otherwise minimal composition.
Unlike the more architecturally complex works within the Moving Focus series, Portrait of Mother I focuses on observation, character and personal connection. Hockney balances expressive drawing with moments of delicacy, creating a portrait that feels both immediate and affectionate. The simplified forms and visible mark-making reflect the artist’s continued interest in how images can be built through line, colour and fragmented perspective, even within quieter domestic scenes. Printed as a lithograph in colours on TGL handmade paper, the work was released in an edition of 25, alongside 12 artist’s proofs.
