Enchantress in her Garden is one of 39 etchings from Hockney’s Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm series. Within this series, Hockney selected six fairytales from his childhood favourite Brothers Grimm’s stories. Hockney commented, "They’re fascinating, the little stories, told in a very very simple, direct, straightforward language and style, it was this simplicity that attracted me. They cover quite a strange range of experience, from the magical to the moral."
The print depicts a grotesque and androgynous witch, pulling a broomstick along the floor. Hockney describes the story behind this print: “The old woman who wants the child. In one translation she is called a witch, and in another she’s called an enchantress....I preferred this word ‘enchantress’ - it wasn’t quite as harsh on her as the word ‘witch’, it seemed to me. This one is again invented. I think it’s partly done from Bruegel, a detail from a Bruegel painting, the hat”.
This print is an example of Hockney’s ability to evolve his artistic technique and storytelling ability.