• David Hockney: A Journey Through Art and Innovation, Exploring His Career from Charcoal Sketches to iPad Drawings

    David Hockney: A Journey Through Art and Innovation

    Exploring His Career from Charcoal Sketches to iPad Drawings
    From traditional oil on canvas to cutting-edge digital installations, David Hockney's body of work has spanned almost the entire spectrum of every conceivable medium an artist could ever think of. Through an obsessive focus during every stage of life, he has mastered each new medium at hand. The lessons learnt from one obsession feeding through to the next. 
     
    Since his rise to fame, after his iconic 1960's pool paintings, Hockney has continued to dominate the global art market to the present day. An exceptional ability to reinvent himself has kept his work relevant and redefined the possibilities of contemporary art. This article covers the storied evolution of his work, from a struggling student to one of the most important living artists of our time. 
     
    By Rebecca Tutthill
    Published: 24th September 2024
    Enquire

  • "Technology has always contributed to art. The brush is a piece of technology, isn't it? But tools don't make pictures. People have to make them."

     

    - David Hockney
    Hockney's highest-selling works of ‘A Bigger Splash, 1967’ and ‘Portrait of an Artist (Pool and Two Figures), 1972’ are some of his most famous, but his more recent artworks have focused on the use of technology, incorporating iPads, computers and immersive, projection rooms. Now his in 80s, he continues to create work pushing artistic material boundaries and furthering his back catalogue of technical experimentation spanning his 60-plus year career.

  • Early Career and Artistic Evolution

     
    Hockney began his career in the traditional setting of the Royal College of Art in London. Demonstrating incredible skill, he exhibited in the New Contemporaries exhibition in 1961. However, during this time his nature of pushing boundaries was already evident. At this point, it has become an art world urban legend that in response to the RCA telling Hockney he wouldn’t be able to graduate without submitting a life drawing; he then painted ‘Life Painting for a Diploma, 1962’ in response but refused to submit an essay, wanting to be judged on only his art. This ultimately led to the RCA changing their requirements and he graduated the same year.
  • In the early stages of his career, David Hockney predominantly worked with painting and sketching, both of which remain highly...

    Life Painting for a Diploma, 1964

    Oil on canvas with charcoal on paper, collage

    70" x 70"

    Image Courtesy of The David Hockney Foundation

    In the early stages of his career, David Hockney predominantly worked with painting and sketching, both of which remain highly sought after by collectors. His oil paintings from this time often depicted romantic and domestic scenes, drawing on both baroque and abstract influences. This period was defined by his exploration of intimate, everyday moments, showcasing his early ability to convey emotion and depth in his subjects.
     
    However, a significant shift occurred when Hockney moved to California in the mid-1960s. Immersed in the vibrant culture, his work evolved to embrace vivid colours and a more relaxed aesthetic. His paintings from this era became synonymous with the Californian lifestyle, featuring sunny landscapes, swimming pools, and peaceful suburban scenes. The bright, saturated tones and serene compositions captured the essence of a laid-back, sun-soaked life, and these works quickly became iconic. This phase of Hockney’s career produced some of his most recognisable and enduring pieces, establishing his unique style and solidifying his place in modern art history. 
  • Photography and Experimentation During the 1970s and 80s, Hockney began incorporating photography into his artistic explorations, blending it with his...
    Image Courtesy of Lindsay Green via Medium

    Photography and Experimentation

     

    During the 1970s and 80s, Hockney began incorporating photography into his artistic explorations, blending it with his well-established painting practice. Using both Polaroids and 35mm film, he created a series of photo collages that explored various styles and techniques. These photomontages often depicted portraits and still-life scenes, with individual photographs layered to form a cohesive image. The result was a dynamic and fragmented composition, bearing a cubist-like quality that presented subjects from multiple perspectives, giving them a sense of depth and abstraction.

     

    Hockney’s pool studies from this period also featured his photographic experiments. In addition to his famous pool paintings, he created works that involved assembling multiple Polaroids into grids to form a complete image of swimming pools. These photographic collages captured not only the physical space but also the play of light and movement on water, adding a new dimension to his exploration of the subject.

  • Nathan Swimming Los Angeles 'March 11th 1982', 1982 Composite Polaroid 45.7 x 76.2 cm Image Courtesy of Tate

    Nathan Swimming Los Angeles 'March 11th 1982', 1982

    Composite Polaroid

    45.7 x 76.2 cm

    Image Courtesy of Tate

  • Return to Tactile Techniques

     

    In the mid-1990s, David Hockney returned to more tactile art forms, focusing on techniques like etching and painting after years of experimenting with photography and other mediums. One notable series from this period is his dog paintings, created in 1995, depicting his beloved dachshunds, Stanley and Boodgie. These works, characterized by their vibrant primary colors and the serene, sleepy demeanor of the dogs, have become an enduring favourite. The paintings capture intimate, everyday moments with his pets, rendered with a simplicity and warmth that resonates deeply with viewers. These textured, affectionate portraits have been exhibited in major institutions such as The Wallace Collection and Pace Gallery, where they have garnered widespread public admiration. The series not only reflects Hockney’s technical skill but also showcases his ability to evoke emotion through seemingly ordinary subjects, reaffirming his mastery.

  • In the early 2000s, David Hockney's work took on a new direction, influenced by East Asian painting techniques, particularly in...

    Looking Down on Purple African Violet, 2002

    Watercolour on paper

    18" x 24"

    Image Courtesy of The David Hockney Foundation

    In the early 2000s, David Hockney's work took on a new direction, influenced by East Asian painting techniques, particularly in his use of watercolours. This marked a shift in his practice, as he began to focus on the fluidity and spontaneity that watercolours allow, embracing the unpredictability of the medium. He explored the careful preparation and forethought required to create a successful watercolor piece, a process that contrasted with the quicker, more immediate methods he had employed with previous mediums like photography and digital art.

     

    Despite this shift, he remained true to his signature style, incorporating bold, defined lines and vibrant, contrasting colours that are hallmarks of his work. These influences encouraged a looser, more dynamic handling of the medium, allowing him to capture the interplay of light, space, and movement with a delicacy not seen in his earlier works. This phase of his career added yet another layer of versatility to his artistic repertoire.

  • Embracing Technology Entering the 2000s, Hockney's focus on integrating technology into his artistic practice became increasingly apparent. Embracing digital tools,...
    A Bigger Green Valley , 2008
    Inkjet printed computer drawing in colours, on two sheets of wove paper, mounted onto two aluminium panels
    154 x 217 cm
    View Artwork

    Embracing Technology

     

    Entering the 2000s, Hockney's focus on integrating technology into his artistic practice became increasingly apparent. Embracing digital tools, he began to experiment extensively with computer-based art, producing a series of digital drawings using programs like Photoshop. This shift allowed Hockney to explore new techniques and subjects in a fresh, innovative way, ranging from intimate portraits to expansive landscapes. One notable work from this period, A Bigger Green Valley, 2008, showcased his ability to translate the vibrancy and texture of traditional painting into a digital format.
     
    Hockney’s use of technology wasn’t limited to simply replicating his earlier styles; instead, it allowed him to expand his creative possibilities. He experimented with color, form, and composition in ways that were more immediate than traditional mediums allowed. Over the years, he refined his digital techniques, constantly pushing the boundaries of what could be achieved with these new tools, reinforcing his reputation as an artist willing to evolve with the times.
  • Following the use of his computer, Hockney was one of the first artists to adopt the use of iPads in...
    The Arrival of Spring in Woldgate, East Yorkshire, 11 May, 2011
    iPad drawing printed on paper
    55 x 41.5 In
    View Artwork
    Following the use of his computer, Hockney was one of the first artists to adopt the use of iPads in his work. The pieces created for his various iPad drawings series have become some of his most popular works within the print market with a variety of exhibitions and collectors acquiring them, such as Arrival of Spring in Woldgate and the Yosemite Suite. The themes within his practice at this stage continue to incorporate a mix of landscapes, still-life and portraiture, which are clear favourites for Hockney as they are areas that continue to appear throughout his career.
     
    Despite the works being created digitally, they are often presented as framed prints allowing the viewer to see them physically as the artworks they are. This mix of technology with traditional exhibitions can be seen throughout his iPad series, with his larger-scale prints allowing the viewer to at times see the individual strokes that make the artworks.

  • Recent Works and Pushing Digital Boundaries

     

    David Hockney’s recent work continues his tradition of experimentation with artistic technology. In 2018, he created a series of large-scale murals using 3D digital photographs, which were exhibited at prestigious institutions such as the Royal Academy, Pace Gallery, and LACMA. These works represented a new phase in his development with the intersection of traditional and digital media. The murals incorporated various images of his earlier artworks, displayed within a digitally manipulated studio setting.
     
    By blending physically made pieces with digital elements, Hockney explored innovative ways to present his art in new contexts. This fusion of past and present techniques not only showcased his adaptability as an artist but also invited viewers to reconsider how art can be experienced in a modern, technology-driven world. The 3D effect of the murals added depth and dimension, immersing the viewer in a reimagined space where the lines between physical and digital art blurred seamlessly.
  • 25th June 2022, Looking at the Flowers (Framed), 2022 Photographic drawing printed on paper, mounted on Dibond 108.5 x 188.5...
    25th June 2022, Looking at the Flowers (Framed), 2022
    Photographic drawing printed on paper, mounted on Dibond
    108.5 x 188.5 cm
    View Artwork
  • In 2023, Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away) debuted in London, offering a groundbreaking multimedia experience that immersed...
    Image Courtesy of Factory International
    In 2023, Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away) debuted in London, offering a groundbreaking multimedia experience that immersed visitors in David Hockney’s expansive body of work. This innovative exhibition projected Hockney’s art on a monumental scale, transforming the viewer’s interaction with his pieces. Rather than observing his works in a traditional gallery setting, visitors were surrounded by larger-than-life projections of his iconic pieces, allowing for a fully immersive engagement with his art.
     
    The exhibition featured key works spanning Hockney’s prolific career, including his famous pool paintings, iPad drawings, and polaroid collages. By incorporating these diverse works into an interactive, digital display, the show provided a fresh perspective on Hockney’s evolution as an artist. It not only highlighted his exploration of various mediums but also invited viewers to become part of the artwork. After its success in London, the exhibition continued to tour internationally, bringing Hockney’s vision to an international audience.
  • David Hockney's career is a remarkable journey of constant reinvention, marked by his fearless exploration of different mediums and technologies. From his early mastery of painting and sketching to his groundbreaking use of digital tools like Photoshop and iPads, Hockney has consistently pushed the boundaries of artistic expression. His ability to adapt to new techniques while maintaining a distinct personal style has kept his work relevant and influential for over six decades. Whether working with traditional materials or cutting-edge technology, Hockney continues to challenge the art world, proving that innovation and creativity are timeless aspects of his enduring legacy.