25th June 2022, Looking at the Flowers, is a large scale photographic drawing installation by David Hockney. The work features multiple framed digital flower compositions arranged on a deep blue wall, each showing fresh blooms in vases placed on patterned tablecloths. Two seated figures of Hockney appear in the foreground, calmly observing the arrangement from different chairs. Real objects such as a small table, bottle of water and ashtray bridge the space between artwork and viewer, turning the installation into a playful study of looking, staging and still life tradition.
Created in Normandy in 2022 using a combination of digital photography and iPad drawing, the work highlights Hockney’s interest in perception and the theatre of display. By placing himself inside the scene, he emphasises the human act of viewing while celebrating the everyday beauty of flowers. Reflecting on his digital method, Hockney has remarked that the iPad allows him to “draw without any fuss, just as fast as I can look,” a spirit reflected in the immediacy and clarity of the floral studies.