the exhibition is enormous. it features over 300 works, shown in
18,000 square feet of gallery space, making it the biggest exhibition in the history of the de young museum.
david hockney | the arrival of spring in woldgate, east yorkshire in 2011 (twenty eleven) - 2 january | one of 52 iPad drawings printed on paper| 2011 david hockney RA: a bigger picture | 21 jan-9 apr 2012 | royal academy of arts | london, united kingdom
but, the san francisco show also includes new work, which has never been exhibited or published before.
since a bigger picture,hockney suffered a stroke, lost a studio assistant, and relocated to his los angeles CA studio.
during his recovery, he began drawing with charcoal on paper. during this period, hockney revisited many of the locations from the arrival of spring in woldgate, east yorkshire in 2011 (twenty eleven), a series of 52 iPad drawings. the arrival of spring in 2013, a series of 25 charcoal drawings, will be showcased in one gallery of the de young museum during the exhibition.
hockney's charcoal drawings have been described as more detailed, and more defined than his previous work.
'i'm very proud of them, actually, very proud. i think it's one of my great works, this, the 25 drawings.' -david hockney
david hockney | woldgate, 6-7 february | from the arrival of spring in 2013 (twenty thirteen) | charcoal on paper | 2013
david hockney: a bigger exhibition | 26 oct 2013-20 jan 2014 | de young museum | san francisco CA
during his recovery, hockney also began drawing charcoal portraits of colleagues, friends, and family members. hockney prefers drawing people that he knows.
'if you know them well, you've got different memories of them...we all see with memory, don't we?'
-david hockney
his most recent portraits are painted with acrylic paint in swimming pool colors. since hockney has not worked in acrylic paint for over 20 years, to him, it seems like a new medium. in addition to approximately 40 recent charcoal drawings, the de young exhibition also features 14 recent acrylic portraits.
david hockney in his los angeles CA studio with works from his upcoming exhibition at the de young museum in san francisco CA
david hockney | mulholland drive: the road to the studio | acrylic on canvas | 1980 reproduction | david hockney RA: the bigger picture | 21 jan-9 apr 2012 | royal academy of arts | london, united kingdom original | los angeles county museum of art (lacma) | los angeles, CA photo credit lacma
david hockney | bigger trees near warter | oil on 50 canvases + two collages of 50 color photographs | 2007 tate collection | london, united kingdom photo credits (c) david hockney and tate
the exhibition features over 150 works, most created between 2004 and 2011.
although it is an exhibition, instead of a retrospective, a bigger picture includes a survey of earlier landscapes, painted from 1956-1998, that offer an opportunity to reconsider hockney as a landscape artist, instead of a pop artist.
hockney's work reflects the influences of past artistic movements, such as cubism, impressionism, or fauvism.
hockney
also uses optical tools to experiment with the representation of space,
the manipulation of perspective, the use of color, and the variation of
technique.
david hockney | grand canyon with ledge, arizona, 1982 | collage of 60 color photographs | 1986 david hockney RA: a bigger picture | 21 jan-9 apr 2012 | royal academy of arts | london, united kingdom photo credit (c) david hockney
he described the process of making collages from the grand canyon photographs as a ‘cubist idea.'
in 1998, hockney painted a bigger grand canyon from the collages and other studies, and a closer grand canyon from memory. the multiple viewpoint perspective in both paintings again references cubism.
the grand canyon paintings also reference cubism by translating the grid
pattern from the photo collages into a multiple canvas format. this
becomes the standard format for hockney's large scale works.
david hockney | a bigger grand canyon | oil on 60 canvases | 1998
national gallery of australia (nga) | canberra, ACT, australia
david hockney | a closer grand canyon | oil on 60 canvases | 1998
david hockney RA: a bigger picture | 21 jan-9 apr 2012 | royal academy of arts | london, united kingdom louisiana museum of modern art | humlebaek, denmark
but, hockney rejects the use of optical tools when he decides to paint the yorkshire landscapes in the exhibition from direct observation.
hockney's landscapes could define yorkshire like impressionist landscapes defined the south of france.
like monet's paintings, hockney's
yorkshire landscapes are studies of changing seasonal and light
conditions. sometimes, he paints the same location, such as the thixendale trees, at different times of the year.
david hockney | three trees near thixendale, spring 2008 | oil on 8 canvases | 2008
david hockney RA: a bigger picture | 21 jan-9 apr 2012 | royal academy of arts | london, united kingdom
other times, he paints the same subject, such as blossoming hawthorne trees, in different locations at the same time of the year.
david hockney | hawthorne blossom near rudston | oil on two canvases | 2008
david hockney RA: a bigger picture | 21 jan-9 apr 2012 | royal academy of arts | london, united kingdom photo credit (c) david hockney
david hockney | the big hawthorne | oil on 9 canvases | 2008 david hockney RA: a bigger picture | 21 jan-9 apr 2012 | royal academy of arts | london, united kingdom photo credit (c) david hockney
david hockney | may blossom on the roman road | oil on 8 canvases | 2009
david hockney RA: a bigger picture | 21 jan-9 apr 2012 | royal academy of arts | london, united kingdom photo credit (c) david hockney
hockney's
yorkshire landscapes are also technical studies. he experiments with
impressionist or fauvist painting techniques, such as pointellist seurat
dots, swirling van gogh brushstrokes, or colorful matisse stripes.
and, hockney also experiments with technological tools.
the series also includes a 32 canvas oil painting. the brighter colors, simpler brushstrokes, and bolder composition reflect hockney'siPaddrawing techniques.
david hockney | the arrival of spring in woldgate, east yorkshire in 2011 (twenty eleven) | oil on 32 canvases | 2011
david hockney RA: a bigger picture | 21 jan-9 apr 2012 | royal academy of arts | london, united kingdom
question:
wondering about how to combine antiques with a modern lifestyle? answer:
just ask one of the interior design authors participating in the lecture series at the san francisco fall antiques show, held at festival pavillion in fort mason center from 24-27 october 2013.
question:
wondering if antique furniture could be considered modern? answer:
just ask interior designer stephen sills how to select it with an editing eye...
the lecture: editing the past for the present stephen sills | stephen sills design associates | new york NY saturday 26 october 2013 | 11:00 am lecture followed by a book signing in the author's alcove
question:
wondering how to mix and match contemporary and classic furnishings? answer:
just ask interior designer suzanne tucker. after all, it's all in the blend...
the lecture: creating the blend: passion, vision, and the collected interior suzanne tucker | tucker & marks | san francisco CA saturday 26 october 2013 | 2:30 pm lecture followed by a book signing in the author's alcove
question:
wondering about how to lead a modern lifestyle in a historic home? answer:
just ask interior designer timothy corrigan about weekend entertaining...
the lecture: a visit to chateau grand-lucé: restoring and decorating a great country house timothy corrigan | timothy corrigan, inc. | los angeles CA & paris france thursday 24 october 2013 | 2:30 pm lecture followed by a book signing in the author's alcove
question:
wondering how to update a traditional home? answer:
just ask interior designer mario buatta how to decorate it. after all, he reinvented the english country house style...
the lecture: if you can't hide it, decorate it: a conversation with mario buatta mario buatta | new york NY emily evans eerdmans | brooklyn NY friday 25 october 2013 | 11:00 am lecture followed by a book signing in the author's alcove
