Hitch-Hiker (Reflected)

Peter Doig's work draws on the theme of reflection and thoughtfulness. Adrian Searle refers to Doig's method, as the "invention of memory" (Peter Doig Works on Paper, exhibition catalogue, Michael Werner, Köln/New York, 2002). In Hitch-Hiker (Reflected), we see not a diluted view, as if we were looking underwater, but rather an almost planetary landscape that echoes the profound sentiment of loneliness reminiscent of Edward Hopper's works. The "hitchhiker" himself is not pictured; we are merely left to imagine the driver, hidden from view, in need of human contact. The headlights point ahead into a black void; what they seek, we are left to ponder. Hitch-Hiker depicts not a story, but a bittersweet memory of a pensive moment where the moon and interstellar bodies occupy the mind of a lonely man. Doig's depth of intuition marks his place in contemporary art, bringing soulful painting back to the cutting edge.