Tate Britain: David Hockney Exhibition
A retrospective of famed British artist David Hockney was on display at Tate Britain from 9th February to 29th May. The show chronicles the various stages of his artistic career, starting with his experimental sketches and etchings from art school, moving to his hazy visions of patterned swimming pools, touching upon his stab at cubism with a series of photographic collages, finishing with his large scale repetitive scenic landscapes that either flourish, burn or fade with every passing season.
His most famous work, ‘A Bigger Splash’ sits pride of place within the show, a first of many idyllic snapshots into Hockney's time in LA, which included some of our favourite pieces of the show. This included 'Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)' which depicts a fully clothed man standing on the edge of the pool, his head craned slightly forwards to observe an approaching figure swimming beneath the water. Is the figure welcoming his awaiting guest or does he swim forward, unaware of the man's presence? Will he be confronted as he rises out for air, or will he simply turn underwater and avoid the looming figure altogether? The painting is surrounded by other studies featuring half naked men emerging from the rippling pools, seemingly content with their own isolation in their hazily lit pastel paradise.
Sketch of 'Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)'
'American Collectors' is an unconventional study of a rich married couple, Marcia and Fred Weisman, posing in front of a backdrop of cool mint coloured bungalow, cloudless sky blues and the lush green of their pristine lawns, on a dreamy California day surrounded by their sculptures. The painting hints that this blissful existence has been disrupted by a sense of disconnect between the couple. Marcia stands head on, her arm is wrapped protectively around her waist as she offers the viewer a crooked smile, while her husband stands in profile, a few feet away from her. It seems evident that though they are a couple, Hockney views them independently, maybe Marcia is the more inviting and relaxed of the two, while Fred remains professional with his eyes fixed on one of his sculptures in the distance.
Sketch of 'American Collectors'
This sense of detachment between a married couple is also applied to later paintings of his married friends 'Mr and Mrs Clark & Percy', as well as his painting of his mother and father in 'My Parents' I which he is again keen to position them apart. His proud and patient mother sits up straight and is attentive in the corner of the painting, while her husband sits sideways crouched over his newspaper, oblivious and disinterested.
He shifts his focus from people to nature, which is exhibited in his numerous studies of landscapes. He seemed to have kept his LA colour palette to depict rural scenes of his childhood in Yorkshire. The often-grey countryside is depicted by Hockney, in various tonal shades of vibrant green and golden yellow, sometimes outlined by purple or pink roads and the sky is coloured in a deep blue. His largest work 'Bigger Trees by Warter' an autumnal scene is slightly more realistic. The sky is a muddy pastel blue and the bare trees painted black and brown though the grass remains a bright and luscious green.
Sketch of 'Bigger Trees by Warter'
Tate Britain was able drawn in huge crowds for this impressive retrospective which truly marked Hockney as an experimental artist. His style and content are subject to continuous change throughout his life that was well documented within the exhibition. His well-known paintings of swimmers were abandoned for polaroid mosaics and collages, before moving on to pastoral landscapes. Themes of sexuality were prominent starting from an early shyness etched within his schoolwork which then flourished during his LA period during which he felt free to explore and enjoy. Once realised, he returned to painting his parents, his friends and his home with a renewed confidence. It was a true and colourful insight into not only his art but his life.
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