The partial inspiration for this painting comes from the artist remembering his teenage years when girls tended to be nicer than boys. On breaking up, instead of saying they did not love you anymore, they would often say they were “all mixed up”. Such discomfort can continue into adult life as depicted by this colourful, androgynous figure, who is finding solace in wine.

The painting is shown in the new documentary ‘CHRIS GOLLON: Life in Paint’ (85mins) to demonstrate Gollon’s innovative use of spray paints and a printmaker’s roller. Bacon and Hockney had been criticised for flatness in acrylic which Chris Gollon managed to avoid by combining Old Master techniques, using very thin glazes, with printmaking techniques and – as shown here in this painting – fine art spray paints.