BACK TO: POOL PRINTS
David Hockney's Afternoon Swimming, 1979 is a vibrant lithograph in colours that captures the energy and movement of a Californian swimming pool through bold, expressive mark-making. Printed on Arches Cover paper and published by Tyler Graphics, Mount Kisco, the composition is built from sweeping blue brushstrokes that evoke the constantly shifting surface of the water, while gestural pink forms suggest swimmers diving, floating and splashing across the pool. A bright red lilo drifts through the foreground, contrasting against the deep blue water, while a strip of green lawn and loosely rendered trees frame the scene beyond. Rather than focusing on precise detail, Hockney uses colour, rhythm and movement to create a joyful, dynamic composition that celebrates one of the defining motifs of his career.
Created in 1979, Afternoon Swimming belongs to a period in which David Hockney was pushing the boundaries of printmaking in collaboration with master printer Kenneth Tyler. Throughout the late 1970s, Hockney explored new ways of depicting water, light and movement through lithography, producing works that expanded upon the swimming pool imagery that had first captivated him after moving to Los Angeles in the 1960s. By combining expressive graphic marks with vivid colour, Hockney transformed an everyday scene into a study of movement, perception and the optimism of Californian life.
INTERESTED in BUYING or SELLING afternoon swimming?
