DAVID HOCKNEY: A Bigger Picture
by Molly Price-Owen
See 'A Bigger Picture', gasp and prepared to be overwhelmed. The
bright, brilliant colours, the vibrancy and vivacity of the
vivid images jump out from the walls of the main galleries of
the Royal Academy of Arts. Spell-binding and
mesmerising.
This is no retrospective, which pleases Hockney enormously.
Almost all the rooms are filled with recent work by the
74-year-old artist; much of it made within the past four years, a
good deal in the past twelve months, although a few earlier pieces
are included to provided context - for example the cool images of
Californian life and Yosemite National Park, or the searingly hot
pictures of the Grand Canyon, from the mid-60s (continues)
|
David Hockney RA: A Bigger
Picture
21 January 2012 to 9 April 2012
Key. 153.01
David
Hockney
The Arrival of Spring in
Woldgate, East Yorkshire in 2011 ©
David Hockney
Exhibition organised by the
Royal Academy of Arts, London in collaboration with the Guggenheim
Museum, Bilbao and the Museum Ludwig, Cologne
|
Just as Hockney revolutionised photographic art with his
awesome montages - hundreds of pictures overlapping each other to
form one huge image - so he has transformed landscape
art.
Landscapes, Nature predominate: the artist wants us to see the
bigger picture, both of the countryside around us and literally
with the scale of the works on show. He brings us closer to the
subjects, drawing us into the picture. Concerned with what Van Gogh
called 'the infinity of nature' his recent work depicts a corner of
Yorkshire that he examines with the same obsession as Monet with
Giverny.
One gigantic picture covers the biggest wall in the gallery and
measures a staggering 365.8x975.4 cm. 'The Arrival of Spring in
Woldgate in 2011' is the centrepiece. (Woldgate being a road in the
country outside Bridlington, East Yorks). He evokes the
'floating feeling' of early Spring when the first leaves appear.
The vegetation seems to move and grow with waves of energy in
stunning greens, reds, purples and yellows.
A red path in the centre invites us into the wood to experience
Spring, walk through the early flowers, then touch and smell the
trees beyond. It's almost palpable, the effect is almost 3D.
This invitation is extended to many of his works - 'Come in,
take a closer, a bigger look at Nature's grand performance and
display'. There are tunnels, roads and paths to explore with
delight.
Hockney, born in Bradford, visited his late mother and sister
who lived in Bridlington. After decades spent in California, he
felt the pull of the countryside of his youth, so he made this
seaside town his home.
This main room also comprises a sequence of 51 iPad drawings,
but when Hockney agreed to do the exhibition, in 2007, the iPad
didn't exist. The precursor was his iPhone and he began to draw on
it with his thumb, using various Apps. He drew flowers every day,
and then sent them to friends who were fortunate enough received
fresh Hockney blooms daily! Then when the iPad was
launched, Hockney moved to this larger tablet computer and pursued
his production of digitally- aided drawings. He found its speed and
versatility exciting and envigorating. He printed them out on a
larger scale, and now they hang in the gallery. An excoriating
delight for the vision, and many made especially for this
exhibition.
In this wealth of Landscapes Hockney is making discoveries,
boldly moving into territory nobody has explored before, and they
express his love affair with the English countryside.
Another huge painting, 'Winter Timber' depicts the horizontal
and vertical together: felled yellow and orange tree trunks appear
to form part of the path leading us to the horizon, while the
vertical trees form the corridor up which we are beckoned.
Again the colours burst with luminous intensity.
Sketchbooks and iPads are also on view, and a fascinating video
film, where the artist set up nine cameras to film concurrently a
walk through various landscapes: the result is eighteen moving
pictures luring us into the woods, to persuade us to stroll along
these enchanting wonderlands. This exhilarating exhibition
shows how Hockney has 're-landscaped' Landscape art: It is an
exuberance of colour, form, size but above all passion; a visionary
experience (in both senses of the word), and highly arresting.
It should stop you in your tracks.
The exhibition runs at The Royal Academy in London from
21st January - 9th April
DAVID HOCKNEY: A
Bigger Picture
See 'A Bigger Picture', gasp and prepared to
be overwhelmed. The bright, brilliant colours, the
vibrancy and vivacity of the vivid images jump out from the walls
of the main galleries of the Royal Academy of Arts.
Spell-binding and mesmerising.
This is no retrospective, which pleases
Hockney enormously.
Almost all the rooms are filled with recent
work by the 74-year-old artist; much of it made within the past
four years, a good deal in the past twelve months, although a few
earlier pieces are included to provided context - for example the
cool images of Californian life and Yosemite National Park, or the
searingly hot pictures of the Grand Canyon, from the mid-60s.
Just as Hockney revolutionised photographic
art with his awesome montages - hundreds of pictures overlapping
each other to form one huge image - so he has transformed landscape
art.
Landscapes, Nature predominate: the artist
wants us to see the bigger picture, both of the countryside around
us and literally with the scale of the works on show. He brings us
closer to the subjects, drawing us into the picture. Concerned with
what Van Gogh called 'the infinity of nature' his recent work
depicts a corner of Yorkshire that he examines with the same
obsession as Monet with Giverny.
One gigantic picture covers the biggest wall
in the gallery and measures a staggering 365.8x975.4 cm. 'The
Arrival of Spring in Woldgate in 2011' is the centrepiece.
(Woldgate being a road in the country outside Bridlington, East
Yorks). He evokes the 'floating feeling' of early Spring when the
first leaves appear. The vegetation seems to move and grow with
waves of energy in stunning greens, reds, purples and yellows.
A red path in the centre invites us into the
wood to experience Spring, walk through the early flowers, then
touch and smell the trees beyond. It's almost palpable, the effect
is almost 3D.
This invitation is extended to many of his
works - 'Come in, take a closer, a bigger look at Nature's grand
performance and display'. There are tunnels, roads and paths to
explore with delight.
Hockney, born in Bradford, visited his late
mother and sister who lived in Bridlington. After decades spent in
California, he felt the pull of the countryside of his youth, so he
made this seaside town his home.
This main room also comprises a sequence of 51
iPad drawings, but when Hockney agreed to do the exhibition, in
2007, the iPad didn't exist. The precursor was his iPhone and he
began to draw on it with his thumb, using various Apps. He drew
flowers every day, and then sent them to friends who were fortunate
enough received fresh Hockney blooms daily! Then when the iPad was
launched, Hockney moved to this larger tablet computer and pursued
his production of digitally- aided drawings. He found its speed and
versatility exciting and envigorating. He printed them out on a
larger scale, and now they hang in the gallery. An excoriating
delight for the vision, and many made especially for this
exhibition.
In this wealth of Landscapes Hockney is making
discoveries, boldly moving into territory nobody has explored
before, and they express his love affair with the English
countryside.
Another huge painting, 'Winter Timber' depicts
the horizontal and vertical together: felled yellow and orange tree
trunks appear to form part of the path leading us to the horizon,
while the vertical trees form the corridor up which we are
beckoned. Again the colours burst with luminous intensity.
Sketchbooks and iPads are also on view, and a
fascinating video film, where the artist set up nine cameras to
film concurrently a walk through various landscapes: the result is
eighteen moving pictures luring us into the woods, to persuade us
to stroll along these enchanting wonderlands. This exhilarating
exhibition shows how Hockney has 're-landscaped' Landscape art: It
is an exuberance of colour, form, size but above all passion; a
visionary experience (in both senses of the word), and highly
arresting.
It should stop you in your tracks.
(the exhibition runs from 21st
January - 9th April)