Peter Doig - Two Students

Peter Doig’s Two Students (2008) captures the dreamlike quality that defines much of his practice, combining figuration with painterly abstraction. Rendered in gestural strokes of teal, ochre, and muted violets, the scene depicts two partially outlined figures and a guitar, evoking both intimacy and ambiguity. Doig’s approach transforms an everyday moment into a layered psychological image, hovering between memory and imagination. The simplified forms and expressive palette underscore his ongoing exploration of how perception reshapes reality. Produced as a giclée print in an edition of 500, each example is hand-signed and numbered by the artist.

Peter Doig, born in Edinburgh in 1959, is celebrated as one of the foremost contemporary painters, known for his ethereal and enigmatic artworks that blend figurative elements with abstract painting techniques. His paintings, characterized by dreamlike landscapes populated with figures and architectural forms, immerse viewers in scenes of profound beauty and emotional complexity. His figurative-abstract paintings and prints often evoke a range of emotions from melancholy to tranquility, embodying a subtle tension and solitude that Peter Doig articulates without a deliberate intention of creating a sinister atmosphere. Instead, he aims to weave narratives and evoke narrative threads through his canvases. Doig’s artistic process is notable for its integration of diverse source materials including found photographs, film stills, and personal childhood memories, which he transforms into the foundational elements of his paintings. This method allows him to effectively blur the lines between personal history, popular culture, and art historical influences, enriching his artwork with a layer of ambiguity that challenges the distinction between reality and imagination. In addition to his paintings, Doig’s oeuvre includes limited edition prints that carry the same haunting quality and attention to detail seen in his artworks. In his printmaking practice, Peter Doig is known to employ a diverse range of techniques such as etching, lithography, and monotype, allowing him to craft distinct interpretations of his larger paintings. His career was catapulted to international recognition early on when he was shortlisted for the Turner Prize in 1984. This recognition grew with a major retrospective at Tate Britain in 2008, which highlighted the evolution of his unique artistic vision and underscored his significant impact on the contemporary art scene. Through his paintings and fine art prints, Peter Doig continues to captivate and engage audiences, securing his place as a critical figure in the exploration of new boundaries within contemporary art.