The Green Knight Bows to Gawain's Blow

Screenprint – unmounted, unframed

Image size: 550mm x 550mm

Paper size: 705mm x 690mm

Edition size: 75

From the series of fourteen prints by Clive Hicks-Jenkins, editioned by The Penfold Press, based on the medieval poem 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight'.

Author and curator James Russell describes Clive's depiction of The Green Knight Bows to Gawain's Blow:

"The contrast between martial red and forest green becomes more explicit in the third print of the series. Having accepted the Green Knight’s challenge to strike him, Gawain stands helmeted, axe raised – the very picture of a proud medieval knight. His expression is steely, yet he is staring not at his victim but straight ahead, and when we look more closely at his eyes and mouth we sense his apprehension. Honour demands that he strike the blow, but the possible consequences are terrifying. For his part, the Green Knight seems perfectly composed."