Overview
This consideration of Hockney's work from 1960 to the early nineties dispels myths and opens up new lines of inquiry concerning his contributions to post-modern art. Filled with beautiful colour plates of his paintings, the book draws on extensive research and the artist's personal archives. In a broad chronological format, the book reveals the major phases in Hockney's oeuvre: his early years as a student at the Royal College of Art in London and his ironic experimentation with different styles of painting; his images of life in southern California; his highly personal portraits and their studies in perspective; his reinterpretations of modernist paintings; and his forays into photo-collage. The authors' incisive commentary reveals how Hockney's paintings question, parody and undermine accepted ideas about modern art, while forcing us to reconsider our assumptions about originality and creativity.
David Hockney is the most widely discussed and well-documented artist of his generation. This is the first book to present a clear, critical analysis of the key developments of Hockney's work over the past 30 years. 20 color and 100 b&w illus.
Synopsis
This book presents a clear, critical analysis of the key developments in Hockney's work since the mid - 1960s. Topics examined include Hockney's participation in the London arts scene of the "swinging 60s", his images of Southern California, images of landscapes, Hockney's questioning of the status of the modern art object, the conjunction of word and image in his work, his practice as a portrait painter, and finally the paintings of the 1990s. Throughout, the chapters reflect a diverse range of contemporary theoretical positions and methodologies, contributing to the critical debate around Hockney's work.
Booknews
The series provides critically-informed texts which utilize current research and a wide range of approaches to survey and analyze subjects studied widely in art history courses. The present critical introduction offers a range of approaches to understanding particular moments or themes in the oeuvre of renowned British artist Hockney (b.1937), from a focused study of a single painting to the analysis of an entire phase in the artist's career. Numerous b&w figures and 19 excellent color plates. Distributed by St. Martin's Press. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)