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Notes
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The artist had ten sittings at the novelist's house in London. He provided the chair, she the carpet in the background and together they agreed on the inclusion of the sculpture of an anteater. Doris Lessing wrote of the experience: "I became very familiar with the patch of brick and a pattern of drainpipes on the wall across the street, where my eyes found a focus. This made me think of the old story of the sage who told a pupil to look at a fish and then return to describe what he had seen. Five minutes later he came back to say, 'It's just a fish.' 'Look again.' He did. This time, it was half an hour. Finally, invited to say what he had seen, he said it would take the rest of his life to see everything there was to be seen in that fish.
Title
Doris Lessing
Date
1999
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
H 182.2 x W 127 cm
Accession number
6516
Acquisition method
Commissioned with help from the Dame Helen Gardner Bequest, 1999
Work type
Painting
National Portrait Gallery, London
St Martin’s Place, London, Greater London WC2H 0HE England
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