David Hockney was born July 9th, 1937 in Bradford, West Yorkshire, in Britain. He attended the Bradford School of Art from 1953 – 1957 and the Royal College of Art from 1959 – 1962 in London, England. He later moved to the U.S. to teach at universities in Iowa, Colorado, and California from 1964 – 1967. After his experience teaching, he moved to Los Angeles in 1978. His work ranges from paintings of landscapes and portraits to costume and stage design in opera and theatre productions. Hockney is currently one of the most influential artist because his work’s popularity continues to spread, with one of his most well-known pieces selling for $90 million USD at an auction. He was also appointed an Order of Merit by Queen Elizabeth II.
I find his work especially appealing, I love the bright colours, interesting use of space and perspective, as well as his Dog Days (1998) series. I saw one of his Dog Days paintings for the first time recently and have been obsessed with it ever since. It is an extremely simple painting, with the subject of his dog sitting upright on a pillow. However, something about the way he uses colour and the way he handles the paint in his brushstrokes give the dog a charming character that I cannot get enough of. While his other works, especially his large landscapes such as A Bigger Grand Canyon (1998), are beautiful to look at, I find his smaller and more personal pieces to be more interesting. I also really enjoy seeing his costume design and stage design sketches.
get a load of THAT. DOG.