Brand New!! Hockney, Printmaker (Review #2) - The Etchings

At the halt of my preview of Hockney Printmaker at Dulwich Picture Gallery, my determination was that it was probable to live i of the real best exhibitions I'll consider inwards 2014.  

The in conclusion exhibition past times Hockney inwards London was a blockbuster.  My jurist is that this exhibition volition also generate lots of visitors.  It includes over 100 plant betwixt 1954 as well as his more recent run with computers inwards 2009. (The links are to my reviews of his most recent exhibitions inwards London)

I'm going to practice this review inwards to a greater extent than than i post, as well as thence I tin include a lot of images, covering:
  • The Etchings (this post)
  • The Lithography (next post)
  • Recent prints using novel technology scientific discipline (last post)
Entrance to the Hockney, Printmaker exhibition at Dulwich Picture Gallery

The exhibition is curated past times Richard Lloyd, International Head of Prints & Multiples, Christies who gave an in-depth as well as real informative introduction to the exhibition.  He gave quite the best introductory beak past times curators of recent exhibitions!  The Curator's Lecture was today as well as was sold out - as well as I'm non surprised!
This exhibition volition render an insight into an aspect of Hockney’s run which is oftentimes overlooked – that he is i of the most prolific, various as well as technically sharp printmakers alive. He has been making prints since 1954 as well as throughout the subsequent threescore years he has continued to run as well as experiment. There’s a whole other side to Hockney, which he has devoted an enormous amount of loose energy as well as inventiveness to.
Richard Lloyd
I was real impressed to consider that a issue of the prints on demonstrate are the Artist Proof.

Hockney, Printmaker


Here are the fundamental themes:
  • David Hockney, Artist as well as Model, 1973-74, 
    Etching, 29 1/2" x 22 1/2", 
    Edition: 100, © David Hockney
    the exhibition celebrates threescore years of Hockney every bit a printmaker - since his commencement impress was made at Bradford College of Art.
  • printmaking is a medium which Hockney is passionate about 
  • he excels at printmaking which involves drawing and his 2 primary impress techniques are etching as well as lithography. He hates hide prints - because they're besides flat
  • he's absolutely fascinated past times creating novel ways of making prints 
  • He switches betwixt mediums every bit this polymath's ideas of what he wants to practice adjacent develop
  • Hockney references other artists as well as their artwork all the fourth dimension - but inwards a agency which is wholly master to him. The exhibition offers the chance to play "spot the artistic reference".
  • He is diligent inwards doing his homework earlier he starts work. It's normal for him to practice extensive research, see places as well as produced lots of drawings earlier he gets going on the terminal artwork.
  • Hockney is a real prolific artist. This exhibition picks upwards on some of the primary themes - but there's also a lot that's non there.
  • He's a real literate creative someone who apparently has a deep dear of poetry
  • He typically plant inwards serial or themes - which are oftentimes multi-layered inwards their meaning. Lloyd described them every bit beingness light-hearted as well as fifty-fifty amusing on the surface, acre underneath they tin live an amalgam of Renaissance portraiture as well as 'Art Brut' or lavatorial art.
  • He creates far to a greater extent than than he releases. This exhibition is interesting because it also includes prints which didn't brand the terminal cut.
  • Hockney has worked with some of the best contemporary Master Printmakers - including Picasso's Master Printer Aldo Crommelynk every bit good every bit Maurice Payne inwards the Great Britain as well as Ken Tyler of Gemini inwards California. He has huge regard for them as well as has participated inwards novel developments inwards printmaking.
  • Hockney is an independent man, an independent thinker and, surprise surprise, rather likes the thought of beingness able to brand prints without needing to live assisted past times a Master Printer.  So he did.
  • the exhibition holds i or 2 surprises!

The Etchings


The Etchings are shown hither inwards series. His activity inwards etching dominated the 1960s as well as 1990s.
Hockney hitting the soil running at the Royal College of Art when he commencement came to London inwards 1959. The commencement room includes some thirty etchings which he produced acre at the RCA.  These include Hockney's real commencement etching with aquatint created historic catamenia 23. Myself as well as My Heroes is a run of personal revelation. It includes the poet Walt Whitman as well as Mahatma Gandhi as well as a self portrait together with words as well as phrases of important to him.

His prints from this era ever remind me of the poet e.e. cummings who also drew as well as painted. Just every bit cummings' poems were ever spare as well as precise as well as thence are Hockney's role of words inside his prints. Also his words when expressing feelings as well as thoughts are real oftentimes lower instance - every bit cummings wrote - as well as layered with meaning.

The quaternary etching is Hockney's thought of a pivot up.  He had a massive shell on Cliff Richard but homosexuality was illegal at the fourth dimension as well as thence this etching includes the initials CR adjacent to the give-and-take Queen.

There's a sense that Hockney likes to tell stories with his prints as well as is happy working on to a greater extent than than i impress to practice so.

Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Rake's Progress


A Rake's Progress is a real impressive fix of sixteen etchings - double that of the Hogarth serial which records the downfall of a immature aristocrat as well as which was commencement published inwards 1735. Hockney took 3 years to consummate the series. The RCA wanted him to practice 24 prints, inwards the halt he did sixteen as well as after has said he wishes he'd only done 8. He truly produced 45 compositions acre playing with ideas for the series.  The exhibition includes 3 images which he started but did non include inwards the terminal series.

This was the fix of etchings which announced Hockney's arrival every bit an creative someone of note.

A Rake's Progress past times David Hockney
He's taken the Hogarth serial as well as updated it to create a graphic tale to reverberate his commencement trip to New York inwards 1961 for his 24th birthday. It includes his portrayal of his coming together with William S. Lieberman who was "the legendary curator of the impress subdivision at the Museum of Modern Art". The serial concludes next some other see to New York when he met Henry Geldzahler, the First Curator of 20th Century Art at the MoMA.

Both the exhibition as well as the catalogue explicate the flush revealed inwards the private prints.

It's of import to greenback from a technical viewpoint that these are NOT etched versions of drawings but rather than Hockney developed the drawing instantly on the plate.  He also experimented with using the color cherry-red every bit an improver to the monochrome etching. However this required it was used inwards an expanse on the plate untouched past times the residuum of the etching as well as inwards the halt he decided he didn't similar the agency it limited his overall pattern of the etching.

Illustrations for Fourteen Poems from C.P. Cavafy 


The adjacent major serial of etchings after a Rake's Progress was Illustrations for Fourteen Poems from C.P. Cavafy which tin live constitute inwards the adjacent room.  He commissioned a novel translation by the poets Stephen Spender as well as Nikos Stangos as well as this was published amongst the etchings inwards 1967 only every bit Parliament passed the human activity which decriminalised homosexual activity.

This serial is inwards termination Hockney's "gay manifesto" - the drawings are his personal opinion on his agency of living.  This is an good past times Christies which explicate the poems.  Apparently at the time, some of the printers refused to live involved with the printmaking due to the topics of some of the illustrations. However, inwards the context of today's the world they at nowadays seem quite tame.

Illustrations for Fourteen Poems from C.P. Cavafy past times David Hockney
Hockney was introduced to the poems of the Greek poet Constantine P. Cavafy (1863-1933) at the RCA past times Adrian Berg. Berg introduced him to the poesy of Walt Whitman as well as Cadafy who both wrote poesy nigh homosexuality.  Apparently Hockney borrowed a re-create of the poems from the Bradford library as well as hasn't yet got circular to giving it back.

The interesting aspect of these etchings are they a real beautiful fix of job drawings. He'd been working difficult at drawing from life inwards pen as well as ink as well as that truly shows through inwards these etchings.  It was also interesting to listen that he'd been influenced past times Matisse. My jurist is that he was also influenced past times Picasso who was also real capable of producing spare as well as uncomplicated job drawings(Incidentally, his etchings involving job as well as job drawings inwards pen as well as ink are the foundation of my longstanding admiration for David Hockney)

One etching from the serial "In the deadening Village" was included every bit a seminal run in A History of the World inwards 100 Objects past times Neil McGregor, the Director of the British Museum (Here's the programme on BBC Radio in which you tin listen David Hockney confess that he never took the volume dorsum to Bradford Library after taking it out for the instant time.)

David Hockney, Two Boys Aged 23 or 24 from Illustrations For Fourteen Poems from C.P. Cavafy,
1966-67, Etching, 31 1/2 x 22

Illustrations for Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm

The adjacent large projection involving etchings was some other i based on a literary source - this fourth dimension Grimm's Fairy Tales.  The simplicity of them appealed to him as well as he'd loved them since his childhood.  Again he got a novel translation of the master text.

Illustrations for Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm past times David Hockney
Hockney researched all the known illustrated versions of Grimm's Fairy Tales, read all 239 tales as well as took a trip downwardly the Rhine to receive got photographs as well as brand drawings for inspiration.  In all the projection took over a twelvemonth of his life betwixt September 1968 as well as Nov 1969 - with the serial beingness published inwards 1970.

In the halt he chose xx tales, of these fifteen were translated as well as 12 made it to the terminal series.  That said he'd produced eighty etchings earlier he realised he needed to rein inwards his efforts as well as acquire to a greater extent than focused.

In technical terms, this serial - as well as the private images - represents a dialogue betwixt the iv principal methods used for etching - hard-ground as well as soft-ground etching, aquatint as well as drypoint.  It's every bit if he fix himself challenges to consider what he could do.  An instance of this is his portrayal of The Glass Mountain.  The challenge was to uncovering a agency of portraying the mount - which he resolved inwards the halt past times using the termination of refraction which was evident when some other object was placed behind it.  That's the other primary argue I similar Hockney - he's a clever adult man who likes solving problems of perception as well as representation.
A King built a drinking glass mount as well as announced he would give his miss to the commencement adult man who could climb it without falling.

The Picasso Prints

There are other etchings inwards the exhibition I could comment on but the 2 most obvious - as well as the prints which a lot of people volition live familiar with are the 2 which involve Picasso.  There are some other 2 which involve Hockney using sugar-lift aquatint inwards the latter for his drawing of Picasso inwards Artist as well as Model to signify "this is Picasso's technique" - every bit indeed it was.

Contrejour inwards the French Style (1974) as well as Two Vases inwards the Louvre (1974) past times David Hockney
Hard as well as soft-ground etching with aquatint inwards colours - produced using i plate

The exhibition also includes important run inwards etchings from the 1990s including a self portrait.

I'm going to live going dorsum to this exhibition in i lawsuit to a greater extent than to persuasion the prints in i lawsuit to a greater extent than after I've read the catalogue from comprehend to cover!

Other reviews


You tin also read other reviews of the exhibition:
The catalogue is real good produced as well as informative as well as includes essays past times a issue of skillful commentators every bit good every bit an authoritative introduction past times the curator.
A fully illustrated color catalogue published past times Scala accompanies the exhibition as well as features an essay past times Richard Lloyd. It explored the fundamental themes inwards the exhibition inwards the context of the artist’s biography, together with illuminating texts from contributors such every bit Marco Livingston, John Kasmin, Peter Tatchell, Celia Birtwell, as well as Martin Gayford.
The exhibition is every bit ever beautifully hung past times the Dulwich Picture Gallery.  Loans receive got been secured from fundamental lenders including Salt’s Mill, Saltaire, David Hockney Inc., David Hockney Foundation, National Gallery of Art, Washington, National Gallery of Art, Canberra, Bradford Museums and Galleries, Tate as well as Private Collections.

Associated fine art events

Special Exhibition Lecture - Art every bit Autobiography: The Early Work of David Hockney

sun ix March 11am-12pm £9/£10
David Hockney’s Biographer as well as Hockney:Printmaker catalogue contributor Christopher Simon Sykes gives an exclusive insight into the artist’s childhood growing upwards inwards Bradford as well as his life upwards until he left the Royal College of Art inwards 1962

Hockney Printmaker: Etching  

sun ix as well as sixteen March 10.30am – 4pm £70/ £65
Create an edition of dark as well as white prints, inspired past times Hockney’s illustrative as well as withal life etchings. Visit theHockney: Printmaker exhibition as well as create 2 linear compositions onto beautiful Fabriano Rosaspina newspaper with printmaker Victoria Browne

Hockney Printmaker: Lithography

sun 23 March 10.30 – 4pm £70/ £65
Create an edition of color prints, inspired past times Hockney’s portrait lithographs. Participants volition larn a low-toxic techniques as well as run from the life model with printmaker Victoria Browne

Hockney Printmaker: Love of Line

Five Tuesdays from 22 Apr to xx May £55 / £50
David Hockney’s prints demonstrate a dear of job as well as sensitivity to materials as well as techniques. Taking this every bit a starting point, explore job drawing inwards printmaking with creative someone Jo Veever

Book online at www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk Or past times telephone on 020 8299 8732

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