On the 2nd February I went to the Royal Academy to see the exhibition David Hockney RA – A Bigger Picture. The show features some early work but consists mainly of Hockney’s vivid paintings inspired by the Yorkshire landscape – the majority of the work dated from 2004 to 2011. These recent landscapes capture the beauty of the changing seasons. The exhibition definitely has a feel-good quality. Although I was drawn to the bright creative colour combinations of the oil paintings my favourite pieces were the charcoal drawings and watercolour paintings. Hockney’s mark-making, especially in the drawings, reminded me of Vincent van Gogh’s works made with ink or black chalk. If you visit the exhibition let me know your favourite pieces. I will be teaching a ‘Paint like David Hockney’ workshop day in June. It will be an opportunity to experiment with this bold expressive style of painting. Go to ’Courses’ for details.
A wonderful exhibition with a definate ‘feel-good’ factor. Makes one rethink the use of bright greens in landscape; but then he is magnificent colourist. I particularly liked his earlier Yorkshire work with unorthadox perspectives and very exagerated colour. It has certainly encouraged me to be more adventurous with my use of colour. I may well sign-up for your ‘Paint like Hockney’ Maggie
I agree with you Ray about the ‘greens’. We spend hours carefully mixing the correct greens to depict the landscape and along comes Hockney and appears to squeeze his greens straight from the tube. Would be great to see you at the ‘Paint like Hockney’ painting day – when I proposed the workshop a year ago I had no idea it was going to be so topical!