David Hockney:
A Bigger Picture
Tim Barringer, Edith Devaney, Margaret Drabble, Martin Gayford, Marco Livingstone and Xavier F. Salomon
David Hockney CH RA has always been closely associated with California, where he has lived for much of his life. This major study of his work redefines him as an important painter of the English countryside, presenting his recent landscapes for the first time.
For the last decade Hockney has been based in Yorkshire, where he has returned to painting in the open air, observing with honesty school holidays spent working in East Yorkshire. These works convey the drama and splendour of nature and the pathos of our relationship with it, an age-old subject treated by Hockney with a modern and spirited eye, often informed by his interest in photography and digital media.
Spectacular works made using such techniques are also included here. Marco Livingstone explores this bold departure in the context of Hockney's sixty-year career, while other contributors address the artist's place in the landscape tradition and his ongoing use of new technologies, and Hockney himself reflects on his recent work. Illustrated with paintings, charcoal drawings, iPad drawings and video stills, many of which have never been seen before, this landmark publication confirms David Hockney as one of the greatest artists of his generation.