Three Panel Diving Board (Paper Pool 31)

  • Three-Panel Diving Board, Paper Pool 31, 1978

    Three-Panel Diving Board, Paper Pool 31, 1978

    Coloured and pressed paper pulp, 51 x 96 in

    Unique work

    ©David Hockney

    Back to: Paper Pools

     

    David Hockney's Three-Panel Diving Board, Paper Pool 31, 1978 shifts the focus from the pool itself to one of the most recognisable motifs in his work: the diving board. Created in coloured, pressed paper pulp in collaboration with Kenneth Tyler at Tyler Graphics, the composition presents the diving board extending dramatically across the foreground, suspended above a deep blue pool that reflects the sky below. The strong horizontal form divides the composition, creating a striking architectural balance between the geometric pool, surrounding landscape and mirrored reflections on the water's surface.

     

    Widely regarded as a unique work, Three-Panel Diving Board demonstrates Hockney's continued experimentation with perspective and composition throughout the Paper Pools series. The handmade paper creates subtle tonal variations across the water, while the board itself becomes a sculptural element projecting into space. Rather than depicting movement, Hockney captures a moment of quiet anticipation, inviting viewers to consider the relationship between architecture, reflection and the changing qualities of light.

  • "I never thought the Swimming Pool Pictures were at all about mere hedonist pleasure. They were about the surface of the water, the very thin film, the shimmering, two-dimensionality"

     

    - David Hockney

    The diving board became one of David Hockney's most enduring visual symbols, appearing repeatedly throughout his swimming pool paintings and paper works. Acting as both a compositional device and a focal point, it introduces strong geometric lines that contrast with the fluid, ever-changing surface of the water. In Three-Panel Diving Board, its prominent placement reinforces Hockney's fascination with perspective, guiding the viewer's eye across the composition while emphasising the calm stillness of the pool.