Tom Hodgson, one of the younger members of Painters Eleven, was known for his spontaneous, gestural Abstract Expressionist works. Beginning with their emergence in the mid 1950s and extending into the eventful 1960s, the Abstract Expressionist painters shook up the previously staid Toronto scene. The daring Hodgson was known for his wild parties with his artist friends at his studio, the Pit. In one legendary event, women took off their blouses as Hodgson sketched them; he then posted the drawings on the wall. Hodgson imbued Decolletage & Chantilly Lace with his love of the female form. At first glance, the composition seems chaotic, but soon reveals the subject to be the nude torso and face of a woman. Broad brush-strokes, surface textures and strong dark and light contrasts create a field that seems to leap from the surface. Although the work is abstracted, it makes explicit reference to the eroticism of the female figure and, together with the physicality of the use of paint, is drenched in lyrical sensuality.