Synopses & Reviews
David Hockney’s exuberant work is widely loved and widely praised, but he is also an incisive and original thinker on art. Based on a series of conversations between Hockney and the art critic Martin Gayford, this book distills the essence of the artist’s lifelong meditations on the problems and paradoxes of representing a three-dimensional world on a flat surface.
How does drawing make one “see things clearer and clearer and clearer still”? What significance do differing media, from a Lascaux cave wall to an iPad, have for the images we see? What is the relationship between the images we make and the reality around us? And how can we fully enjoy the pleasures of just looking—at trees, or faces, or sunrises?
These conversations are punctuated by wise and witty observations by both artist and interviewer on many other artists—Vermeer, Tiepolo, Caravaggio, Van Gogh, and Monet among them—and enlivened by shrewd insights into the contrasting social and physical landscapes of California, where Hockney spent so many years, and East Yorkshire, his birthplace, to which he has now returned.
Review
"An erudite writer and a wonderful artist in a book that feels like eavesdropping. It could be a literary painting." Washington Independent Book Review
Review
"…Hockney offers insights into the art of painting, be it on touchscreen or canvas. The book is a walk up to “A Bigger Picture,” the major Hockney show at London’s Royal Academy of Arts." Bloomberg
Review
"Sumptuously illustrated, this radiant volume encapsulates what it truly means to be a visual artist." Booklist
Review
"Hockney’s comments about drawing and about looking are very useful, not just in understanding his work and career, but also in general." Choice
Review
"In this charming book… the author conveys an awe for the intellect and drive of an artist." ARTnews
Synopsis
A self-portrait of this major artist, told through a wide-ranging series of interviews and conversations with Martin Gayford.
Synopsis
David Hockney’s exuberant work is widely loved and widely praised, but he is also an incisive and original thinker on art. Based on a series of conversations between Hockney and the art critic Martin Gayford, this book distills the essence of the artist’s lifelong meditations on the problems and paradoxes of representing a three-dimensional world on a flat surface.
How does drawing make one “see things clearer and clearer and clearer still”? What significance do differing media, from a Lascaux cave wall to an iPad, have for the images we see? What is the relationship between the images we make and the reality around us? And how can we fully enjoy the pleasures of just looking—at trees, or faces, or sunrises?
These conversations are punctuated by wise and witty observations by both artist and interviewer on many other artists—Vermeer, Tiepolo, Caravaggio, Van Gogh, and Monet among them—and enlivened by shrewd insights into the contrasting social and physical landscapes of California, where Hockney spent so many years, and East Yorkshire, his birthplace, to which he has now returned.
About the Author
Martin Gayford is chief European art critic for Bloomberg News and was formerly art critic of the Spectator. His books include The Yellow House, Man with a Blue Scarf, and A Bigger Message: Conversations with David Hockney.