Peter Doig
2019-23
Pigment on linen
200 x 295.5 cm
The dramatic figure of the famous Trinidadian singer Shadow, dressed in his trademark skeleton costume, appears in the doorway of an old music shop in Port of Spain. Its painted walls advertise instruments for sale. Shadow (Winston McGarland Bailey, 1941– 2018) modernised the genre of calypso, becoming a leading figure of the new style of soca music in the 1970s. His music was a major feature of Trinidad’s annual carnival, which defines the country’s cultural life. The painting might be seen as a homage to the music of Trinidad. Peter Doig paints the music shop as a gateway to the island itself, with views across the sea appearing in the windows.