David Hockney was born in a British town; was the fourth of five children. David’s father was an accountant and amateur artist. The boy early showed his artistic talent; as a child, he attended the Bradford School of Art, drew and designed school newspapers a lot.
1937
David Hockney
description
David Hockney is a contemporary English and American artist, an author of famous paintings in the style of pop art with images of sparkling blue pools, attracting the viewer with their coolness in the middle of a hot afternoon. His paintings, smooth and shiny like magazine pages, mesmerize you by their simplicity, clarity and plenty of sunlight.
After moving from England to California, the artist became interested in photography. The original technique of shooting with the subsequent overlay of frames allows Hockney to create unusual collages that no one had done before him – these are half-photographs, half-paintings.
A constant admirer of Cubism, the artist creates works with a renewed perspective, combining several images into a single whole. His innovative approach to the collage method made the artist a recognized master of photography at the end of the 20th century.
Being one of the most influential and expensive artists of our time, David Hockney is constantly inventing new techniques and experimenting with various styles. Since 2009, the artist has surprised the public with computer paintings created using an application on a regular tablet. Hockney’s work, like his bright personality, is of constant interest in society, which expects discoveries and bold challenges from the ageless artist.
Key ideas:
– In his work, David Hockney uses a wide range of sources and styles, ranging from Baroque and Cubism to Pop art and computer graphics. Hockney uses any methods and materials that he considers suitable for the implementation of his goal.
– The artist creates pictures by drawing from photos or simply pasting “polaroid” pictures onto the canvas; his last works are drawings in a popular application on his tablet.
– David Hockney defiantly refuses all existing laws of painting. He denies the stereotyped perspective and black-and-white modeling; human bodies on his canvases have non-standard proportions, and the riot of colours is in no way associated with the standard concept of harmony of colour solutions. This is how the artist invariably proves the simple truth that creativity has no boundaries and frames and can be created in any way.
– In the 1960s, David Hockney, together with other Pop art artists, contributed to the revival of figurative art, which was almost completely replaced by abstract art movements. Painting pools, houses and people in everyday situations made art more understandable and intimate for viewers who were happy to buy the artist’s works.
– David Hockney used bright, expressive colours in his painting. Bright red, pale blue, saturated green – these shades reflect the open nature of the artist, who does not hide his original orientation and loves to enjoy life in all its forms.
1937
1959
1963
1964
1973
1974
1979
1982
1990
2001
2009
2012
David Hockney was born in a British town
Enrolled at the Royal College of Art in London
Enrolled at the Royal College of Art in London, where he met many young artists Ronald Brooks Kitaj, Allen Jones and Peter Blake. Hockney studied well but often rebelled against strict rules in art. In protest, instead of a thesis, he created a series of cartoons.
The first solo exhibition
The first solo exhibition of the artist. It was held at the gallery of John Kasmin and was quite successful.
Hockney moved to the United States
Hockney moved to the United States and settled in Los Angeles. From childhood, the artist dreamed of living in a hot climate, where a lot of sun and objects cast clear shadows. In America, Hockney made many acquaintances among the local creative elite. His friends were artists, directors, collectors and designers, whose portraits he often painted during this period.
Moved to Paris
Moved to Paris, where he spent the next two years. At that time, the artist was fond of photography and created his first collage paintings with polaroid pictures pasted onto the surface.
The large retrospective exhibition
A large retrospective exhibition of the artist was shown in many large cities in Europe. In the same year, a film about the life of Hockney, “The Big Splash” by Jack Hazan, was released. This movie caused a lot of discussion and played a big role in the struggle of sexual minorities for their rights.
Hockney supported the creation of the Museum of Modern Art in Los Angeles
Returning to the United States, Hockney supported the creation of the Museum of Modern Art in Los Angeles and became one of its founders.
"David Hockney Photographer"
The exhibition “David Hockney Photographer” was held at the Georges Pompidou Center in Paris. In the same year, the book of the artist “David Hockney: Photos” was published. These events contributed to the fact that the artist became one of the leading masters of the genre of modern photography.
The artist's paintings were mainly landscapes depicting the nature of Great Britain
He began to visit England more often, visiting his mother every few months. According to the artist, he was tired of the California sun and missed the rain. During that period, the artist’s paintings were mainly landscapes depicting the nature of Great Britain.
“The Secret Knowledge”
Together with the physicist Charles M. Falco, David Hockney wrote “The Secret Knowledge”. This scientific work claims that great masters of the past, such as Diego Velazquez and Jan van Eyck, used the camera obscura and other technical devices to create their works.
He mastered the application “Brush”
He mastered the application “Brush” and began to create works of art on his smartphone and tablet. Printed drawings that were created using the application are regularly exhibited in art galleries and are in demand.
David Hockney returned to California
After the death of his assistant, who committed suicide in his studio, David Hockney returned to California, where he still lives. Despite his age, the artist continues to paint and participate in the cultural and political life of the country.