presentation about
D a v i d Hockney
by Edyta Michalska at London Metropolitan 2014
British painter, printmaker, photographer, designer, and the best-known British artist of his generation.
David Hockney has often been regarded as a playboy of the art world. He has had lascivious relationships, and he has run among strange and crazy artistic circles.
Yet he has always retained a sense of stability in his life through his constant and tireless devotion to his work. Hockney is an artist that has always enjoyed success and praise, facing little to no hardship in his career. What is interesting about his life is not the problems he has encountered, but the strides he has taken to bypass much human suffering and malaise.
He was born on July 9, 1937, in Bradford, England, to Laura and Kenneth Hockney. The Hockneys were, as David said, a "'radical working-class family.'" Laura raised her children as strict Methodists and resolutely shunned smoking and drinking in the home. David Hockney was always considered an eccentric in Bradford. He never really cared what people thought of him and always did as he pleased. He spent afternoons at Sunday School drawing cartoons of Jesus, much to his teachers' dismay.
As a young child, Hockney also developed an obsession with opera when he first saw the Carl Rosa opera company's production of La Bohème. In 1948, he won a scholarship to the Bradford Grammar School, one of the best schools in the country. Here he enjoyed his art classes most and thus decided that he wanted to become an artist.
In 1953, Hockney finally enrolled in the College of Art and began painting with oils, his medium of choice for most of his life. Hockney learned that painting was a process of seeing and thinking, rather than one of imitation.
His artwork was abstract and quite personal and allowed him to deal with human sexuality and love in a public, yet still inhibited manner. Socially, he made a lot of friends, but never really expressed any sexual interests.
Nude, 1957 oil on board, 48x72 1/2 in.
Skeleton, 1959 charcoal, 15 5/8 x 22 in.
Builders, 1957 oil on hardboard, 19 7/8 x30 in.
We two Boys Together Clinging Together, 1961 oil on board, 48x60 in.
He and his friends spent much of their time in the studio, but they explored the pubs and coffee bars around town as much as possible. Hockney was a serious student, however, and dedicated much effort to painting. During his first term, he experimented with more abstract styles, but he felt unsatisfied with that work, and he still sought his own style.
Grand Procession of Dignitaries n the Semi-Egyptian Style, 1961 oil on canvas, 84x144 in.
His professors were good and receptive to his artwork, but Hockney seemed to learn the most from his fellow students who shared similar artistic interests and insights. After a little while, Hockney even began painting about his sexual orientation, writing words such as "queer" and 'unorthodox lover" in some of his paintings. While Hockney had been aware of his attraction to males growing up in Bradford, he had never felt comfortable talking about his sexual orientation until he came to the Royal College and befriended other gay men.
Going To Be A Queen For Tonight, 1960 oil on board, 48x36 in.
In the summer of 1961, Hockney traveled to New York for the first time. His friend Mark Berger showed him around all the city's galleries and museums, while his other friend Ferrill Amacker showed him the hot gay spots. To pay for the trip, Hockney sold several of his paintings.
In New York, Hockney befriended Andy Warhol, at whose studio young artists often met and socialized. He also met Dennis Hopper that same night.
Hockney had become fascinated with the images of young, built, and tan men in the publication Physique Pictorial, which he had collected while in London, and he was hungry to experience the sleazy underground world of Los Angeles. He immediately loved the city and made Santa Monica his home. Spending much of his day at Santa Monica pier, Hockney would just people-watch and admire the beautiful boys that seemed to be at the beach every day of the year. This new environment greatly inspired him. In his California paintings, such as Man in Shower in Beverly Hills (1964)
Domestic Scene, Los Angeles 1963 oil on canvas, 60x60 in.
Peter Getting Out of Nick's Pool 1966
The Room, Manchester Street, 1967 acrylic, 96x96 in.
Two years later, Hockney experienced his first true romance with a nineteen-year-old student named Peter Schlesinger. Schlesinger was just about everything Hockney ever wanted in a man. He was attractive, smart, young, innocent, and in great need of Hockney's guidance. Schlesinger became a favorite subject of Hockney's, and the many drawings of him show the informal intimacy of the two. Also at this time, Hockney's interest in photography grew. He would take endless shots of Schlesinger, mostly for fun, but also for study.
In the eighties, Hockney turned to photo collage. Using a Polaroid camera, Hockney
would assemble collages of photos that he would take as quickly as possible.
Hockney was fascinated with the idea of seeing things through a window frame. This medium allowed him to see things in a whole new fashion.
Nicholas Wilder Studying Picasso. Los Angeles 24th March 1982. composite polaroid, 48 1/2 x 26 1/2 in
Sun On The Pool Los Angeles April 13th 1982 composite polaroid, 34 3/4 x 36 1/4 in.
Pearblossom Highway, 11th-18th April 1986, photographic collage, 77x112 1/2 in.
Garrowby Hill, 1998 oil on canvas, 60x76 in.
Bigger Picture: A Closer Winter Tunnel, February - March 2006
Video Bigger Trees Nearer Warter, Winter 2008
Winter Timber, Oil on 15 Canvases, 2009
Interior With Lamp, 2003 watercolor on paper (6 sheets), 39 1/4 x 75 3/8 in.
David Hockney & John Fitzherbert The artist and his partner pose for a portrait at their London home, Photography by M. Sharkey, September 26, 2012
Hockney's life and all his loves are always on display to the public. By embracing all sorts of technology and media, Hockney has made his art accessible to people everywhere. He has used art to express the love he has felt for others, and consequently, his works show personal stake and personal meaning. Ironically, his artwork caused much personal suffering and strife in the making and breaking of his romances, while at the same time, garnering him much respect and admiration. Hockney has truly made art a form of real human interaction and communication.
credits: David Hockney: A Bigger Picture [Hardcover] Authors: Tim Barringer Edith Devaney. Publication Date: 16 Jan 2012 Video Bigger Trees Nearer Warter, Winter 2008 http://www.hockneypictures.com/tv-video/ video_9.php bibliography www.hockneypictures.com www.davidhockney.com/bio