Peter Doig's paintings are inspired by his experiences of moving regularly while growing up. Sitting between landscape and figure painting, his works embody the layered meanings of place; both historical and personal. Doig's work shows his consciousness of art historical precedent. His works draw on, reference and play with the legacies of artists such as Edvard Munch, Claude Monet and Gustav Klimt.
Read MoreDoig's landscapes are not literal representations. One of his most significant works, The Architect's Home in the Ravine (1991), shows a fictionalised view of architect Eberhard Zeidler's modernist home. The effect is reinforced by layers of rough underpainting and a maddening network of white lines that obscure the home's front view.
Doig creates his images using reference photographs. He aims to relate to photography in the same way that painters did when photography was first invented. However, the paintings he creates are not representative in the same way. His paintings are often loose and have a painterly quality about them.
Doig painted one of his major works, White Canoe (1990—1991), from a photograph. The painting depicts a white canoe and its reflection as a moment of calm in the midst of a turbulent canvas. Doig has stated that he is not interested in the quality of the photograph. In fact, the photograph is merely a starting point from which the painting can develop organically.
