The First Mrs de Winter

The First Mrs de Winter (2019, acrylic on linen, 40.5 x 30.5 cm, pictured above), is named after, but not based on, the title character, Rebecca, in the gothic novel by Daphne du Maurier (1938). Alfred Hitchcock’s 1940 film adaptation is arguably better known, although the novel has never been out of print.

I gave the work its title after a fellow artist noted an uncanny resemblance between the two women. Despite it being unintended, I was even inclined to agree with him. Ironically, however, in Hitchcock’s film, apart from her image glimpsed in a portrait, we never actually see Rebecca, even in flashback. The first Mrs de Winter has died before the story even begins, yet she dominates every scene. 

The First Mrs de Winter is part of my solo show, BACKSTORIES at Stephen McLaughlan Gallery, current to Sunday, August 8.