Sprungbrett Mit Schatten (Paper Pool 14): Paper Pool print by David Hockney

  • Sprungbrett Mit Schatten (Paper Pool 14), 1978

    Sprungbrett Mit Schatten (Paper Pool 14), 1978

    Coloured and pressed paper pulp, 72 x 85.5, unique work

    ©David Hockney

    Back to: Paper Pools

     

    David Hockney's Sprungbrett Mit Schatten, Paper Pool 14, 1978 is a unique work from the artist's celebrated Paper Pools series, created in collaboration with Kenneth Tyler at Tyler Graphics. Measuring 72 × 85.5 inches, the work is made from coloured, pressed paper pulp, a pioneering process in which coloured paper fibres are layered and pressed to create the image itself. The composition focuses on a diving board and its shadow stretching across the surface of a swimming pool, using bold shapes and carefully balanced colour to explore the relationship between light, architecture and water.

     

    Created during Hockney's extensive experimentation with paper pulp in 1978, Sprungbrett Mit Schatten demonstrates how the artist used simplified forms to investigate perception and spatial relationships. The strong geometric composition contrasts with the fluid surface of the pool, while subtle tonal variations suggest the changing effects of sunlight and reflection. Widely regarded as a unique work, it exemplifies Hockney's innovative approach to papermaking and his ability to blur the boundaries between printmaking, painting and sculpture.

  • "It is an interesting formal problem; it is a formal problem to represent water, to describe water, because it can be anything. It can be any colour and it has no set visual description."

     

    - David Hockney

    David Hockney's Paper Pools are among his most innovative works on paper, created during a groundbreaking collaboration with master printer Kenneth Tyler at Tyler Graphics in 1978. Rather than using ink on a printed sheet, the works were constructed from layers of coloured, pressed paper pulp, allowing the paper itself to become the image. This experimental process combined elements of printmaking, papermaking and painting, enabling Hockney to create richly textured compositions that explore his long-standing fascination with swimming pools, light, reflections and the changing appearance of water.