WHITE PORCELAIN, 1985-86: Lithograph print from the Moving Focus series

White Porcelain, 1985-86, is a lithograph by David Hockney from the artist’s Moving Focus series, depicting two small vases arranged on a table within a simplified interior setting. The vase to the left contains purple irises, while the vase to the right holds tulips in shades of yellow and red. Hockney balances these areas of bright colour against a largely monochromatic composition built from loose black linear marks and sketch-like shading. The tabletop is rendered through energetic diagonal lines that create a sense of movement and depth, while the background remains minimal, filled with lightly drawn curves and geometric forms that frame the still life without overwhelming it.

 

Unlike some of the more spatially complex works from the Moving Focus series, White Porcelain adopts a quieter and more restrained composition, focusing on line, balance and the relationship between colour and empty space. The simplified vases and visible drawing techniques give the work an immediacy and spontaneity that reflect Hockney’s continued experimentation with perception and representation during the mid-1980s.