VIEWS OF HOTEL WELL I, 1984-85: Print by David Hockney from his Moving Focus Series

 

David Hockney’s Views of Hotel Well I, 1984-85, is a lithograph from the artist’s celebrated Moving Focus series, created during a period of increasing experimentation with perspective and composition. The work presents an architectural landscape filled with lush greenery, geometric structures and layered textures. Bold areas of turquoise, blue, red and yellow contrast against expressive linear mark-making, creating a composition that feels structured yet energetic. In the foreground, a red tiled patio leads the viewer towards the central hotel well beneath a brick arch, framed by trees, pillars and dense foliage. Above, a curved roof distorted through Hockney’s fragmented perspective encloses the scene, creating a framing effect reminiscent of a photographic lens.

 

The Moving Focus series marked an important development in Hockney’s exploration of how space and perception can be represented beyond a single viewpoint. Rather than depicting a realistic environment, Views of Hotel Well I constructs an immersive visual experience built from fragmented perspectives and flattened planes of colour. The result is a work that balances decorative richness with conceptual depth, combining influences from landscape design, theatre staging and modernist composition.