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Indepth Arts News:
"David Hockney Retrospective: Photoworks"
2001-07-22 until 2001-10-21
Museum of Contemporary Art, LA and the Geffen Contemporary
Los Angeles, CA,
USA
David Hockney Retrospective:
Photoworks is the first major survey of the artist’s work
in photography. Widely regarded as one of the
foremost British artists of the 20th century, Hockney is
known for his vividly colored paintings and drawings that
place him in the company of Francis Bacon and Lucien
Freud. This exhibition, which ends its extensive
international tour in Los Angeles, its only United States
venue, highlights his exploration of photography from
the late 1960s to the late 1990s.
“David’s outstanding work has inspired thousands
worldwide and has captured the essence of Southern
California,” said Jeremy Strick, MOCA director. “We are
delighted to host this incredible show of photographic
works which showcases his continuous innovation and
experimentation.”
Organized by Dr. Reinhold Misselbeck for the Museum
Ludwig in Cologne, Germany, David Hockney
Retrospective: Photoworks demonstrates the role that
photography has consistently played in the artist’s
career over the past 30 years. Hockney explores
different ways of working with the camera, while
continuing to produce paintings and print works that
often depict the landscape of Southern California.
Several themes that occupied Hockney during this
period will be examined in depth, including his ongoing
fascination with swimmers and swimming pools, his
close scrutiny of intimate friends, his travels abroad, the
peculiarities of the Southern California landscape, and
the tradition of still life.
The exhibition contains few traditional color
photographs and demonstrates Hockney’s continuous
exploration of image reproduction. Hockney’s work has
consistently examined the relationship between image
and reality, space and perspective. “I’m interested in all
kinds of pictures, however they are made, with cameras,
with paint brushes, with computers, with anything,” said
Hockney. “All of them are artifice—technology alters the
way you make pictures.” In keeping with his philosophy,
he has used faxes, laser prints, and color copies to
create his signature intense colors. The shifts in color
that occur in reproduction have also been an important
aspect of his work.
Hockney has always been interested in photography. He
first used it as preparation for his painting, but during
the 1970s photography gained an independent role in
his work. Using 35mm commercially processed color
prints, Hockney created photocollages, which he called
“joiners” until the mid 1980s. He compiled them to
create a 'complete' picture from a series of individually
photographed details. In the 1980s, Hockney primarily
experimented with the Polaroid camera, making
composite images of photographs arranged in a
rectangular grid.
His collage technique explores the mysteries and
nuances between natural and camera vision. Although,
his subject matter ranges from portraiture to still life,
his style from representation to abstraction, Hockney
uses photography to examine our perception of reality.
Family, friends, and collaborators and his own
residence, the pool, his dogs, and the California and
Arizona landscape are seen in many of his
photocollages. IMAGE:
David Hockney
Peter on Diving Board, June 1968
Fujix pictographic silver halide print
12 x 8 3/4 in.
Photo: Richard Schmidt
Copyright David Hockney
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