PORTRAIT OF CAVAFY IN ALEXANDRIA FROM 'ILLUSTRATIONS FOR FOURTEEN POEMS FROM C.P CAVAFY'
1967
Hockney, David
Hockney's etching accompanies Cavafy's poem 'The mirror at the entrance'. This describes an old mirror that briefly enjoys reflecting the perfection of a boy's face as he delivers a parcel to a house. Hockney had made an etching inspired by the same poem in 1961.
Cavafy's poetic idea of giving feelings to an inanimate mirror appealed to the Hockney as an artist. Like him, it had the ability to appreciate and reflect male beauty.
The Beirut seafront provided the setting for this drawing. Cavafy's portrait was based on photographs Hockney was given. This image is an alternative to the one which he finally chose for the published edition of fourteen poems.