We are very fortunate in Bradford to have an institution, in the suburb of Shipley, called “Salt’s Mill”.* This was one of the most impressive of the Victorian textile mills that provided the spine of the area’s industrial strength until the 1960s. Then the building was bought by a visionary individual called Jonathan Silver, who has turned it into an arts-cum-retail centre. By happy coincidence Silver was a friend of David Hockney, who grew up in Bradford, and currently runs a close second to the Bronte sisters as the area’s primary cultural asset.
An important component of the complex developed by Silver was a gallery devoted to the work of David Hockney, and there is a rolling display of different aspects of his work. It is never quite the same whenever you go in. I have had a perfectly dreadful week, with an appalling cold that has left me thoroughly wrung-out. My wife and I decided on a day of recuperation, a part of which was a visit to Salt’s Mill (starting with an excellent macchiato in their cafe!)
The selection of Hockney’s work that was on show today covered principally two phases of his work. One had to do with the development of his portraiture, from the early pencil drawings to his recent work with the iPad. (I have to confess that I have a strong preference for the former.) The second, which I had never seen before, was three series of his prints, illustrating fairy tales.** Hockney’s work is so varied and diverse in subject-matter and medium that you never know what to expect from him, which is possibly the main reason I admire him. He has that restless, roving curiosity that will tackle absolutely anything, just to see how it goes. Just when you get your head around what he is up to now, you discover that he has moved on to try something else.
Whether or not I feel that I have encountered the best of Hockney’s work when I go to Salt’s Mill, I come away invariably feeling that in some respect I have actually met David Hockney. There is always a powerful sense of his individuality that pervades the place. It is a bit intimidating, really, although it can be stimulating also. I keep promising myself that I will have a go at portraiture, encouraged by my current attendance at life-drawing classes. Maybe David is trying to tell me something.
*Look it up on the internet. It really is impressive.
**Frankly, I thought my own treatment of Rapunzel for the Leeds Climbing Wall was better!