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David Hockney's Lithographic Water Made of Lines, Crayon and Two Blue Washes is one of the most accomplished works from his celebrated Lithograph of Water Made of Lines series, created between 1978 and 1980 in collaboration with master printer Kenneth Tyler at Tyler Graphics, New York. Printed in colours on TGL handmade paper and published in an edition of 85 plus 18 artist's proofs, the lithograph demonstrates Hockney's fascination with swimming pools and his ongoing exploration of how printmaking could capture the ever-changing appearance of water. Combining expressive linear mark-making with rich blue washes and crayon, the composition conveys movement, transparency and shifting reflections with remarkable clarity.
Created during one of the most innovative periods of Hockney's printmaking career, the work reflects his analytical approach to representing water through abstract visual language rather than traditional realism. The layered blue washes establish depth and atmosphere, while the intricate network of lines suggests ripples, shadows and refracted light across the pool's surface. Produced at Tyler Graphics, Lithographic Water Made of Lines, Crayon and Two Blue Washes exemplifies Hockney's technical mastery of lithography and remains an important work within his iconic swimming pool imagery.
