27TH FEBRUARY 2021, TALL FLOWERS IN A TALL VASE, 2021

  • 27th February 2021, Tall Flowers in a Tall Vase, 2021, iPad painting printed on paper, David Hockney
    27th February 2021, Tall Flowers in a Tall Vase, 2021,
    iPad painting printed on paper
    89 x 63.5 cm, Edition of 50
    ©David Hockney
     
    Tall Flowers in a Tall Vase plays with verticality and abundance. Hockney pushes the bouquet upwards so it almost bursts out of the top of the composition, a lively mix of grasses, stems and blossoms that refuses to settle into a tidy arrangement. The red and white check of the tablecloth gives the scene a strong grounding pattern, while the deep brown background pulls everything into crisp relief. The digital marks remain quick and intuitive, preserving the sense that these flowers were drawn while still shifting and settling in the vase.
     
    The work reinforces Hockney’s belief that still life is an act of close attention rather than stillness. Working on the iPad lets him respond to tiny movements in real time the tilt of a single stem, the flicker of light on glass, the energy of new growth reaching upward. Once printed, the image retains that immediacy while gaining physical presence. 
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  • "The moment you cheat for the sake of beauty, you know you’re an artist." 

     
    - David Hockney
    Hockney embraced the iPad because it lets him work at the pace life actually moves. There is no waiting for paint to dry, no hesitation as colours change in front of him. He can redraw a petal, shift a shadow or sharpen a highlight in seconds. For him, the device is not a shortcut; it is a way to stay honest to what he sees. The iPad has become a core part of his wider practice because it keeps the act of looking active, allowing everyday subjects to remain alive rather than frozen on the canvas.