Play Within a Play Within a Play and Me with a Cigarette

David Hockney painted this peculiar self-portrait in his signature bright, flat style during the early 1960s. The artist depicts himself sitting in a narrow garden passageway, wearing an eye-catching leopard-print coat and holding what appears to be a book or magazine. The scene has a distinctly British suburban feel, with brick walls, a bare twisted tree, and those characteristically gray skies rendered in undulating stripes. There's something wonderfully odd about the whole composition, from the unnaturally pink pavement to the tidy yellow tulips that seem almost too cheerful against the surreal atmosphere.

The title hints at layers of theatricality and self-awareness, which makes sense given Hockney's fascination with performance and identity. He's literally staging himself in this domestic scene, playing the role of artist while also being the subject. The bold patterns and deliberate flatness of the painting show the influence of both Pop Art and the simplified forms of folk art. It's an early work that captures Hockney's playful approach to painting and his interest in questioning what's real and what's performance in art and life.