(Drivebycuriosity) - David Hockney belongs to the most influential contemporary artists. His delightful paintings are unique and a pleasure to see. I was pleased that New York`s majestic Metropolitan Museum of Art had Hockney retrospective and displayed most of his most iconic works from 1960s to the present (metmuseum ).
The curators claim: "The exhibition offers a grand overview of the artist's achievements across all media, including painting, drawing, photography, and video. From his early experiments with modernist abstraction and mid-career experiments with illusion and realism, to his most recent, jewel-toned landscapes, Hockney has consistently explored the nature of perception and representation with both intellectual rigor and sheer delight in the act of looking".
Obviously many shared my interest. As you can see in these images the show attracted quite a crowd. And watching the crowd was part of the fun. Btw the February day was unusually warm, the mercury column climbed to 28 F (25 C ) on a February day. Some where already in summery mode.
The people above this paragraph are inspecting "American Collectors (Fred and Maria Weisman)" (1968, Acrylic on canvas). There is a funny story behind it. The curators explain: "The double portrait resulted from art collector Marica Weisman`s request that Hockney paint her then-husband. Hockney disliked commissions but offered to paint both of them, as he was interested in their relationship. They are carefully posed as the works in their collection. A totem pole from the Pacific Northwest stands far right (Hockney emphasized its slight resemblance to Mrs. Weisman - one of the reasons, perhaps, that she refused to hang the finished portrait).
The following painting is called "Man in Shower in Beverly Hills" (1964, acrylic on canvas). Hockney used a photograph which he had got from Bob Mizer, the publisher of the Athletic Model Guild. The third painting in this row - "The Room, Tarzana" (1967, Acrylic on canvas) - got a lot attention. It shows the artist´s lover Peter Schlesinger, a young art student then. Critics compared this work to the eroticized odalisques of the French painter Francois Boucher (1703-1770).
Boys & Swimming Pools
Hockney was born in rainy West Yorkshire (England) but he moved to sunny Los Angeles in the late 1960 apparently attracted by weather and light and inspired by his interest in boys and swimming pools. The girl on the top of this paragraph observes "A Bigger Splash" (1967, Acrylic on canvas). It took Hockney nearly two weeks to finish just the flash. The curators call the image "One of the most iconic depictions of a certain upscale Californian lifestyle".
The next painting is called "Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures" (1972, Acrylic on canvas) followed by "Pool and Steps, Le Nid di Duo" (1971, Acrylic on canvas) which show`s a part of movie director Tony Richardson`s hilltop estate Le Nid di Duo (Owl`s Nest) near Saint-Tropes in South France. The image below that is named "Gregory Swimming Los Angeles March 31st 1982" (Composite Polaroid), then follows the terrace to his home in Los Angeles, which almost looks like a pool.
In the recent years Hockney discovered his interest in landscapes & abstracts.
Hockney`s portraits are a reference his mastery. Above "Mr and Mrs Clark and Percy" (1970-71, Acrylic on canvas). These
were "dear friends" of the artist, talented designers and fixture of the
London scene. It took almost nine months to complete the painting!
The work is followed by the portrait "Henry Geldzahler and Chrisopther Scott" (1968-69, Acrylic on canvas). The painting shows Henry Geldzahler, another dear friend and curator at the Metropolitan Museum and his lover, the artist Christopher Scott, in their New York Seventh Avenue Apartment. Hockney incorporated some psychological tensions. While Geldzahler sits in the center (on a very pink and soft couch) , Scott stands at right wearing a trench coat, as if he has just entered or is about to depart.
The last painting in this row is "Christopher Isherwood and Don Barchardy" (1968, Acrylic on canvas).
I indulge into the use of colors & light in these paintings, especially in the combination of warm yellow & red with the cold blue in the image on the bottom. And the cat`s fur is shining as well as Barchardy`s skirt.
Enjoy!
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