DAVID HOCKNEY
David Hockney, OM, CH, RA is an English painter, draftsman, printmaker, stage designer, and photographer. As an important contributor to the pop art movement of the 1960s, he is considered one of the most influential British artists of the 20th century.
Hockney Personal life
Hockney is gay, and has explored the nature of gay love in his portraiture. Sometimes, as in We Two Boys Together Clinging (1961), named after a poem by Walt Whitman, the works refer to his love for men. In 1963, he painted two men together in the painting Domestic Scene, Los Angeles, one showering while the other washes his back. In summer 1966, while teaching at UCLA he met Peter Schlesinger, an art student who posed for paintings and drawings, and with whom he became romantically involved.
On the morning of 18 March 2013, Hockney's 23-year-old assistant, Dominic Elliott, died as a result of drinking drain cleaner at Hockney's Bridlington studio; he had also earlier drunk alcohol and taken cocaine, ecstasy and temazepam. Elliott was a first- and second-team player for Bridlington Rugby Club. It was reported that Hockney's partner drove Elliott to ScarboroughGeneral Hospital where he later died. The inquest returned a verdict of death by misadventure and Hockney was never implicated.[83][84][85] In November 2015 Hockney sold his house in Bridlington, a five-bedroomed former guest house, for £625,000, cutting all his remaining ties with the town.[86][87]
He holds a California Medical Marijuana Verification Card, which enables him to buy cannabis for medical purposes. He has used hearing aids since 1979, but realised he was going deaf long before that. He keeps fit by spending half an hour in the swimming pool each morning, and can stand for six hours at the easel.
David Hockney Quotes
- Anything simple always interests me.
- The mind is the limit. As long as the mind can envision the fact that you can do something, you can do it, as long as you really believe 100 percent.
- Drawing makes you see things clearer, and clearer and clearer still, until your eyes ache.
- Smoking calms me down. It's enjoyable. I don't want politicians deciding what is exciting in my life.
- Photographs aren't accounts of scrutiny. The shutter is open for a fraction of a second.
- I had always planned to make a large painting of the early spring, when the first leaves are at the bottom of the trees, and they seem to float in space in a wonderful way. But the arrival of spring can't be done in one picture.
- I'm a very early riser, and I don't like to miss that beautiful early morning light.
- Like people, trees are all individuals.
- There are enough no smoking places now.
- Art has to move you and design does not, unless it's a good design for a bus.
- The moment you cheat for the sake of beauty, you know you're an artist.
- It is very good advice to believe only what an artist does, rather than what he says about his work.
WHAT is David Hockney FAMOUS FOR?
David Hockney is one of the most important painters of the 20th century. If you were to Google, famous British painters, there’s a good chance that Hockney’s name will appear. Born in Bradford in 1937, Hockney was one of the big artists involved in the pop art movement in the 1960s. Pop art was a style of art that was bright, full of colour. It was made by lots of young artists who felt that the art they saw in galleries was a little bit boring. To find out more about pop art. It’s likely that you’ll learn about pop art in school and then you can mention Hockney and impress all your friends and teachers.
WHAT DOES HE LIKE TO PAINT?
Going Up Garrowby Hill 2000
Private Collection © David Hockney
Hockney lives in London, but owns two other homes in California. You can imagine then that a lot of his work varies, because California and the UK are very different places. California is usually always sunny, where as in England the weather changes all the time. So, when painting in England, Hockney likes to paint the seasons. In Going Up Garrowby Hill, Hockney has painted a canvas of the landscape in Yorkshire, where he was brought up. There are lots of different colours. Why do you think this?
A Bigger Splash 1967
Tate
© David Hockney
When in California, his paintings are colourful and bold. In A Bigger Splash, Hockney paints a swimming pool. It looks like someone has just jumped into the water. The blue is so bright that you want to get on the diving board and jump in too. And look at how tall those palm trees are! You won’t find palm trees like that in England.
DOES HE LIKE PAINTING PEOPLE?
My Parents 1977
Tate
© David Hockney
Yes! Lots of Hockney’s work involves painting people he loves. This is usually pairs of people. My Parents is a painting of his mum and dad and is probably one of his most famous. Look at how he illustrates their personalities. His mother sits upright and attentive, while his father is absorbed in his paper and seems a little bit on the edge of his seat. It’s like Hockney has captured how he feels about his parents in a painting that will last forever.
Hockney wants to capture his relationships with the people he knew. Many of his paintings are of men that he loved and spent time with. Like the painting of his parents, they show a tenderness towards the people who really mattered for Hockney. This includes his friends and other couples Hockney admired. In George Lawson and Wayne Sleep, Hockney shows Wayne, a dancer, and his partner George. The way Wayne, who is framed in the doorway, gazes at George shows a look of love that Hockney clearly felt was important to share.
George Lawson and Wayne Sleep 1972–5
Tate
© David Hockney
SO, WHERE IS HOCKNEY TODAY?
Views of Hotel Well I 1984–5
Tate
© David Hockney
Hockney is still painting and trying lots of new experiments with art. Some of his most recent work includes painting on iPads. The great thing about iPads is that once the work has been complete, you can go back and see how the painting was created. It’s like rewinding time. Isn’t that incredible?
How do you feel about Hockney’s work? Why not try picking up a paintbrush or iPad and start painting like Hockney. Start with bold colours and paint your local swimming pool and your local park. Or, if you like painting people, maybe start by painting your family. Try and show how you feel about them in your painting.
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