Good Time George

This painting was presented to the Walker Art Gallery by the artist Maggi Hambling. 'Good Time George' is a portrait of the jazz performer, surrealist, raconteur, critic and author, George Melly (1926 - 2007). On stage, he performed ‘Good Time George’ as his opening number. Melly came from a well-known Liverpool family and was a frequent visitor to the city throughout his life, actively supporting the arts. Hambling made many paintings and drawings of Melly, both from life and after his death in 2007. This is a posthumous portrait. The artist works in oils, as here, believing that ‘oil paint has its own physicality, immediacy and life force.’ The portrait contains symbolic references to Melly and his life. There is an eye patch over his right eye. He wore this long after he needed it, enjoying the pirate-like image it gave him. Melly also wears his distinctive blue hat and red, white and grey striped suit. A portrait of his long-time lover Squeaky appears in the eye patch. Fish swim at the top of the canvas – he was a keen fisherman. The artist is in the top right-hand corner.