Hockney at the Royal Academy
Wednesday, January 18th, 2012I’ve never seen the Royal Academy more crowded — and this was just the press view. Unfortunately this meant the Dear Leader had to be left behind, so your intrepid reporter had to brave the crowds alone to see what the fuss was about.
Our Greatest Living Yorkshireman is the antithesis of what most Yorkshiremen dream of being — he’s a gay artist instead of a macho sportsman. Yet this exhibition alone will do more for Yorkshire than any number of Fred Truemans, Geoff Boycotts or Darren Goughs. This is a Yorkshire staggering in its intensity and colour. One example will speak for many: mounting nine video cameras and dollying slowly forward through space and the seasons has produced a stunning, a mesmerising effect which silenced the assembled hacks. This is one of the few installations for which the use of the word awesome could be justified.
Because Hockney is no longer as spry as in his Californian days, he finds difficulties in reaching the top of his sometimes enormous paintings. But artists can solve problems as well as pose questions, and his ingenious solution is to produce the artwork on a number of squares with one missing, just like an 8- or 9-puzzle, so that the top squares can slide down to the bottom — oh, I guess you have to see it to understand it.
His Grand Canyon of 1998 is a vast panorama of 12 x 5 A2 panels.
Hockney sold his first painting in 1954 when he was still a student. He was influenced by landscape masters Lorrain and Monet, but his biggest influence was Picasso.
Room 3, 1997 work: Yorkshire landscapes — first ones based on travels, journey, memories. Live painting, but making use of all memories of times seen place before. Salts Mill, Saltaire — permanent display of work.
Room 4 has one wall of 36 framed watercolours, one wall of 30 oils, 2′ x3′ each. They were painted in 2005; in a more photographic style; lovely.
Room 5. Tunnel – track with trees on either side shown through all seasons. 1 grid painting; 6 blocks
6. Woldgate Woods, again through the seasons, all 6 blocks; 9 in series, 7 in RA. The colours are remarkably vivid, huge slashes of magenta and viridian.
7. Hawthorn Blossom – move from naturalistic to more surreal — very imaginative & exuberant. ‘May blossom on the Roman Road’, wild shapes; huge. 2009.
8. Timber and Totems. Charcoal drawings — v. fine; 2008. Woldgate Woods again.1 stump + horizontal logs. Winter colours can be just as bright other seasons; just got to look for them. Vast painting on end wall.
Room 9 is a HUGE space — The Arrival of Spring 2011, Woldgate. Hockney created this when asked to fill the vast end wall for this exhibition. It consists of 95 iPad pics of the road through Woldgate Woods from Jan to June. 51 prints of images made on iPads are displayed in the room. The large painting is the combination of smaller prints.
Hockney suggested hanging it high as he knew the show would be popular and wanted every visitor to have a good view. “If in doubt, go higher.”
Hockney’s Sermon on the Mount was based on Claude Lorrain’s painting. The original was damaged by fire, and has been digitally cleaned. It is surrounded by multiple variations, like Picasso did. This is Hockney first religious subject. Christ preaches — and so does Hockney!
The new works came as a direct result of the exhibition. He was first asked to do it in 2007.
Room 11 shows his video work – 9 cameras
1). contrast late spring / summer / winter moving slowly along lane. Mesmerising.
2). Side view — hedgerow / bank of lane using all 18 screens; same scene rolling through. Also a dance sequence.
The Small Weston Room has sketchbooks and six iPads showing finished works which were then blown up into huge prints.
Room 13. Yosemite — the paintings were late comers after Hockney’s trip to US. The RA had to find more space. There are 5 huge paintings in a small space, made from iPad drawings printed on huge sheets of paper then mounted.Room 14 holds his recent works — still woods, but focusing on ground growth and flowers
The whole display is just so impressive. This must be the killer exhibition of 2012.
