It isn’t possible to live in Bradford without being aware of David Hockney. We have the David Hockney Gallery in Saltaire, a room devoted to his work in the city’s main art gallery, and a website entitled “Not just Hockney” to remind the world that the artistic life of the city is not exhausted by him.
Over time I have come to admire rather than like his work. The evident relish he brings to the exploration of any new technique is impressive. (His appetite for exploring novelty reminds me of Mozart.) He has such astonishing creative energy. Above all, I think, I have admired his early portraits as examples of accomplished draughtsmanship. Then he threw himself into a study of the possibilities of photography, and lately, of course, he took us all aback by his adoption of the iPad as a serious artistic medium. My admiration grew, for his intelligent observation and analysis rather than for his art, following his book on the visual techniques adopted by earlier artists. The idea that he would stand comparison with Van Gogh, however, struck me as surprising. When I expressed an interest in the current exhibition devoted to the two of them, at the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam, my wife generously bought me a ticket, as a birthday present, and we have just returned from four days in the city.
I anticipated that the common interest of the two might be found in two areas. I am aware that neither of them has a great deal of use for aerial perspective in their landscapes. They are both likely to avoid the use of conventional techniques of chiaroscuro. I was intrigued, therefore, by the presentation of the two as sharing a common status as great colourists (although I can understand on reflection how this follows from what I have said.) The appropriateness of the description became evident, however, as soon as we walked into the first room at the exhibition, and both gasped with astonishment. His recent, large multiple canvases derived from his stay in East Yorkshire are just breathtaking.
Hockney has often gone on record as stressing the importance of looking. He made much of this point also in the interesting and lengthy interview that accompanies the exhibition. This was underlined by the evidence of long and disciplined application to drawing and watercolour sketches, that provide the foundation for his large finished landscapes.
I came away from the experience with a new respect for him as an artist, and a fund of points to ponder both in relation to Hockney and to Van Gogh. No doubt I will be returning to these in subsequent posts.