For You

British artist Tracey Emin was born in south London in 1963, into the thick of a blooming technicolour age referred to as ‘The Swinging Sixties’. The period marked the beginning of a youth-driven cultural revolution, besides marking the birth of third-wave feminism.

The evidence of Emin’s talent is clear to see on a sheet of paper. Her jagged lines and scattered dots convey her pure emotion, technical proficiency and genuine interest in her craft. Her ardent interest in human sentiments and conditions is captured perfectly through the most fragile art form of all. Her drawings are designed to reveal both the unique beauty and the disarray of existence.

Emin’s For You was completed in 2010. The work was executed as a photogravure etching in blue, a particularly delicate and dextrous method also referred to as intaglio printmaking or photo-mechanical process. With the help of a rich velvety matte surface and luminous halftones, Emin produces an intensely tactile image. The piece depicts and is dedicated to, the artist’s most beloved furry companion, her cat Docket. Composed of blue dots on a white backdrop, the work captures the cat as a ghost almost, a faded imprint, a sheer memory.