David Hockney (Printmaking)

Hockney (Born July 9th 1937) is a well renowned print maker and artist, and is considered to be a large contributor to the Pop art movement, as well as an incredibly influential British artist.  We had looked at Hockney before during our expressive drawing studies, as he was one of the more linear and line based artists.  His work was minimal, showing how simple lines could represent to much detail.  Every line had a purpose and meaning, and subtracting a single line would be a huge detriment to the image over all.


Portrait of Cavafy II from 1966 is a portrait of modern Greek poet CP Cavafy.  The print is an etching with aquatint on paper.  Cavafy was a man Hockney hugely admired, with a large chunk of his work suggesting homosexual themes.  It's suggested that the hotel in the background indicates the idea of chance sexual encounters.  Honestly, I don't particularly enjoy Hockney's work.  Perhaps it's just because I don't fully understand it.  It's odd, as I love linear work, Hockney was an artist I really thought I'd connect too.  But his lines feel unrefined to me.  I don't understand why he has only applied shading and the suggestion of depth to the face.  Perhaps it's the most important?  To draw the eye there?  I know this has all been done intentionally, but a large portion of this image to me just feels... lazy?  I enjoy Cavafy's expression and demeanor in this image, but that's really all I can say.



For John Constable from 1976, is an intaglio print.  A form of etching, it lends itself well to cross hatching.  I picked this image because it seemed different from Hockney's line drawings, this one featuring more depth and shading.  It seems like a pencil drawing.  I appreciate the detail he's gone into here, and he really shows a mastery with his tools.  That being said, this image doesn't grab me in the way others have.  It doesn't make me feel anything.  It looks like a collection of photographs.  It doesn't encourage anything.

I feel disappointed after looking at Hockney's work.  I understand and appreciate that Hockney is well recognised and praised for his work, but I find his work to be lacking a certain spark.  Perhaps it's just not to my tastes.  In truth, a more accurate way to describe this is that I'm disappointed in myself for being unable to understand or appreciate the greatness that Hockney has clearly achieved through his work.  We were told we didn't need to like everything we saw, but I don't feel that way here.  It's not that I don't like his work, I don't understand it, nor really appreciate it.  All in all, I'm left feeling like something is missing.  Be it a spark in Hockney's work, or a hole in my understanding. 

Who am I to criticise a renowned and respected artist?

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