Untitled
- Artist: Peter Doig
- Date: 2008
- Medium: Oil paint on paper
- Dimensions: support: 353 x 248 mm
- Museum: Tate Modern
- Collection record: Tate Modern website
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About this artwork
This is the “Untitled” by Peter Doig, painted in 2008. It’s a small, intimate oil on paper, just over 35 by 25 centimetres, a format that pulls the viewer right into the scene. Doig’s work often feels like a memory caught in a moment, and this piece is no exception. You’ll notice a single man positioned centrally, his head turned slightly, his expression hard to read – an almost fleeting glimpse of emotion. The brushwork is loose and gestural, a hallmark of Doig’s style, giving the figure a sense of motion as if he’s caught mid‑step or caught in thought.
The palette is subdued, with earth tones and muted blues that give the figure a quiet, almost dreamlike presence. Doig’s subtle layering of paint creates depth, so when you look closer you see hints of shadow and light that suggest a deeper backstory. Though the canvas is small, the intensity of the gesture and the ambiguity of the face make this a powerful, personal portrait, inviting the viewer to wonder what lies beneath the surface.
See it in person
Untitled is in the collection of Tate Modern on Bankside, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
