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Gary Hume Incubus 1991
Gary Hume
Incubus 1991
© the Artist
Alkyd house paint on Formica
2389 mm x 3846 mm
Incubus 1991
© the Artist
Alkyd house paint on Formica
2389 mm x 3846 mm
Read transcriptIncubus is one of a series of paintings which Hume based on swing doors found in schools and hospitals. The pink paint is housepaint, bought directly from a hardware shop, in order to make the connection even more literal.
Tom Learner is a Senior Conservation Scientist at Tate and has been responsible for establishing analytical techniques that can be used to identify 20th century painting materials. He has published widely, including The Impact of Modern Paints and is currently co-ordinating the Modern Paints Research project, a collaborative venture between Tate, the Getty Conservation Institute (Los Angeles) and the National Gallery of Art (Washington DC).
Detail one
A detail of the right panel taken with light raking across the surface of the painting from the right side.
When viewed from the front under gallery lighting, the work appears to have an incredibly smooth and even paint application. However, the lighting conditions in this detail show up the evidence of the artist's brush strokes and the subtle surface textures they create. As well, they highlight the paint ridges produced next to the barrier of draught excluder and tape used to outline the door panels.
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