David Hockney’s Vertical Dogs (1995) is an etching and aquatint in colour depicting his dachshunds, Stanley and Boodgie, who became recurring subjects in his work during the 1990s. Printed on Somerset wove paper in an edition of 80, the work has a plate size of 38.7 × 46.5 cm and a sheet size of 57 × 63.2 cm. The composition reflects Hockney’s close observation of his dogs and his ability to capture their distinctive forms, expressions and relationship through an economical use of line and colour.
Vertical Dogs belongs to a wider group of David Hockney dog prints created during this period, alongside works such as Horizontal Dogs and Small Dog. Hockney frequently drew Stanley and Boodgie from life, recording them sleeping, sitting together and occupying the domestic spaces around him. Through etching and aquatint, these intimate observations were translated into limited-edition prints that combine the immediacy of drawing with Hockney’s longstanding interest in printmaking. The resulting works offer a personal insight into his everyday life while forming a distinctive chapter within his wider graphic output.
