Podcast on David Hockney: Life and Art

Kapitoly

A Record-Breaking Splash

The Rebellious Student

California and Pop Art

From Canvas to iPad

A Digital Pioneer

Monumental Canvases and Portraits

The Accidental Discovery

Cubism with a Camera

A New Stage

The Met and Beyond

High-Tech Hockney

Where to Start Reading

Hockney as Author

Love and Defiance

Convictions and Controversy

The Soaring Prices

The Record-Breaking Pool

More Than a Painter

An Unlikely Fashion Icon

Building a Legacy

An Active Archive

Hockney the Author

A Book of Epic Proportions

A Secret Knowledge

Final Thoughts

Přepis

Oliver: Imagine a packed auction room in New York. The air is electric. A painting is on the block—a vibrant image of a swimming pool and two figures. The bidding climbs... fifty million, sixty, seventy... until the hammer falls. Ninety million dollars. It just became the most expensive artwork by a living artist ever sold. This is Studyfi Podcast.

Ava: And that artist is David Hockney, one of the most influential British artists of the last century. That record-breaking sale in 2018 really cemented his legendary status. But his story starts long before that, in a much less sunny place than California.

Oliver: Right, he was born in Bradford, England. Not exactly the land of swimming pools. So how did he get his start?

Ava: He was a bit of a rebel from the beginning. He studied at the Royal College of Art in London. But when they told him he had to write an essay to graduate, he refused. He argued that as an artist, he should be judged only on his art.

Oliver: I wish I could've tried that with my English essays! How did that go for him?

Ava: In protest, he painted a piece called *Life Painting for a Diploma*. The college, recognizing his immense talent, actually changed its rules and gave him the diploma. It was a sign of things to come!

Oliver: So he was clearly a big deal in the British Pop Art scene. But we all picture his work as very... Californian.

Ava: Exactly. In 1964, he moved to Los Angeles, and it completely transformed his work. He was captivated by the light, the lifestyle, and of course, the swimming pools. This is where he created his most iconic paintings, like *A Bigger Splash*.

Oliver: That's the one with the splash frozen in time, right? It feels so vibrant and modern even today.

Ava: It really does. He started using acrylic paints, which were quite new at the time. They allowed him to capture those bright, flat, intense colors of the California sun. The paintings feel like you could just dive right in.

Oliver: So let's circle back to that ninety-million-dollar painting, *Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)*. What makes it so special?

Ava: It's the culmination of his California period. It combines his two great themes: water and the double portrait. It's an incredibly complex and emotionally charged piece. But Hockney never stopped innovating.

Oliver: What do you mean?

Ava: Well, he's not just the pool guy. Later in life, he returned to England and painted these massive, beautiful landscapes of the Yorkshire countryside, like *Bigger Trees Near Warter*. And he's famous for embracing new technology—he’s created incredible art using fax machines, and more recently, on his iPad.

Oliver: From a paintbrush to an iPad... that's amazing. He truly is an artist who has continued to evolve throughout his entire career. So, he didn't just capture a moment; he kept capturing new ones.

Oliver: So, he clearly wasn't afraid to experiment with photography. But his use of technology went way beyond that, didn't it?

Ava: Oh, absolutely. David Hockney has always been an early adopter. As far back as 1985, he was using something called a Quantel Paintbox—basically the great-great-grandfather of the iPad.

Oliver: A very clunky and expensive ancestor, I'm sure! So he was drawing directly onto a screen even then?

Ava: Exactly. And that digital curiosity never left him. He really got into it around 2004, using a Wacom tablet and Photoshop. But the real game-changer was the iPhone and iPad.

Oliver: Right, the famous Brushes app drawings!

Ava: That's the one! Since 2009, he’s made hundreds of digital paintings, from still lifes to landscapes in Yosemite, and would just email them to friends. Imagine getting a new Hockney in your inbox!

Oliver: That's incredible. He even designed a stained-glass window for Westminster Abbey on an iPad. From a pocket-sized device to a monumental piece of art.

Ava: It just proves his point... a tool is just a tool. It's the artist's vision that matters.

Oliver: And speaking of monumental, he was doing this digital work while also creating some of the largest paintings in the world, like *Bigger Trees Near Warter*.

Ava: Yes! That one is enormous—fifteen by forty feet! It’s actually painted on fifty individual canvases that are then assembled together. He painted most of it outdoors.

Oliver: That's dedication. It really shows his love for the Yorkshire landscape. And he has that same dedication when it comes to people, right? His portraits are a huge part of his work.

Ava: Definitely. He's painted friends, family, and lovers his entire career. More recently, he did a series he called

Oliver: So, moving on from his paintings, Hockney also did some really wild things with photography, didn't he?

Ava: He absolutely did! In the early eighties, he started making these incredible photo collages that he called “joiners.”

Oliver: Joiners? Because he joined photos together? Sounds pretty straightforward.

Ava: It does, but the effect is amazing. And here's the surprising part—he discovered the whole technique by accident.

Oliver: No way. How?

Ava: Well, he really disliked how wide-angle camera lenses distorted things. So while working on a painting of a room, he just took a bunch of individual Polaroid shots and glued them together as a reference.

Oliver: And that was the lightbulb moment?

Ava: Exactly! He realized the final piece told a story. It felt like you were actually moving through the room. After that, he dove headfirst into photography.

Oliver: So what did these finished “joiners” actually look like?

Ava: Think of it this way… he’d take dozens of photos of a single subject, like his mother or a California highway, all from slightly different angles and moments in time.

Oliver: And then just patch them all together?

Ava: Yep. The result is this incredible patchwork image that feels a lot like a Cubist painting. It’s showing you multiple viewpoints all at once.

Oliver: So it’s less about a perfect, single snapshot and more about how our eyes actually experience the world.

Ava: Precisely! He eventually hit a wall, though. He felt photography had its limits, especially with landscapes. He called it a 'one-eyed' approach.

Oliver: And that’s what pushed him back to painting? I guess some ideas are just too big for a camera lens.

Ava: That's a great way to put it. Now, that return to the canvas led to some of his most famous works, which is where we should head next.

Oliver: So he wasn't just content with paintings and photo collages. He wanted to take over the theatre, too?

Ava: You could say that! He saw the stage as another kind of canvas, a huge, three-dimensional one that the audience could step into.

Oliver: Where did he even start? It seems like a pretty big leap from a canvas to a stage.

Ava: It was. His first designs were in 1966 for a play called *Ubu Roi* in London. But he really made his mark with opera, starting in the seventies.

Oliver: Opera? That feels... unexpected. A pop artist doing these grand, classical productions.

Ava: Right? But it worked so well! He designed for Stravinsky's *The Rake's Progress* and Mozart's *The Magic Flute*. He brought his bold colors and lines to these timeless stories.

Oliver: So he was really shaking things up. Did he bring this new style to America?

Ava: Oh, absolutely. In 1980, he designed a huge triple bill for the Metropolitan Opera in New York called *Parade*.

Oliver: A triple bill? Sounds like he didn't like to sleep.

Ava: It was a massive undertaking! Three different French works, each with its own unique visual style. He designed everything—the sets, the costumes. It was total Hockney immersion.

Oliver: So it was like walking directly into one of his paintings.

Ava: Exactly! He later designed for other famous operas like *Tristan und Isolde* and Puccini's *Turandot*.

Oliver: How did he even manage all that detail? You can't just sketch it out on a napkin, right?

Ava: Here's the really cool part. He was quite tech-savvy. He built these amazing 1:8 scale models of the stages in his studio.

Oliver: A tiny little opera house just for him. That's fantastic.

Ava: It gets better. He used a computer to program the lighting cues, syncing them perfectly with a soundtrack of the music. This was back in the eighties!

Oliver: Wow. So he was an engineer as much as an artist.

Ava: He really was. His work was so innovative that it completely changed the conversation about modern stage design, which brings us to his lasting legacy...

Oliver: And that's the thing... his work is so visual, but there's a mountain of text about him. For students who want to go beyond a quick search, where's the best place to start?

Ava: That's a great question, Oliver. The bibliography on Hockney is enormous. Think of it less like a reading list and more like a library dedicated to one person.

Oliver: A one-man library? I like that. So what's the essential first book we should check out?

Ava: If you want the full story of the man himself, I'd point you to *Hockney: The Biography* by Christopher Sykes. It covers his entire life and gives so much context to his artistic choices.

Oliver: Okay, a biography makes sense. But what if we're more interested in the art and the ideas behind it, rather than just his life story?

Ava: Then you're in luck, because Hockney himself was a writer and theorist. His book *Secret Knowledge* is absolutely mind-blowing. He basically re-examines art history with the eye of a detective.

Oliver: A detective? How so?

Ava: He proposes a pretty controversial theory—that many of the Old Masters, like Vermeer and Caravaggio, didn't just use freehand drawing. He argues they secretly used optical devices like mirrors and lenses to achieve their incredible realism.

Oliver: Whoa, that's a huge claim! It's like finding out your favorite singer was secretly using Auto-Tune for centuries.

Ava: Exactly! It caused a massive stir in the art world. But it shows how he wasn't just an artist—he was a relentless investigator of sight itself. And that constant investigation is something we see pop up again and again in his work, which brings us to the key themes that define his career.

Oliver: And that boldness we see in his art... it absolutely spills over into his personal life, doesn't it?

Ava: It really does. Think about this—Hockney came out as gay in 1960, when he was just 23. This was seven years before homosexuality was decriminalized in Britain.

Oliver: Wow. That took incredible courage. He was truly living his truth long before it was accepted.

Ava: Exactly. And he poured that truth into his art. His painting 'We Two Boys Together Clinging' is a direct reference to a Walt Whitman poem about gay love. He wasn't hiding.

Oliver: So his partners often became his subjects?

Ava: Very often! He had a famous relationship with Peter Schlesinger, an art student he met while teaching. Later, there was Gregory Evans, and today his partner Jean-Pierre, or JP, is also his chief studio assistant.

Oliver: It sounds like his personal and professional lives are completely intertwined. But his strong convictions go beyond his art, right?

Ava: Oh, absolutely. He's always been a man of principle. During his National Service in the 50s, he was a conscientious objector and worked as a hospital orderly instead.

Oliver: That's fascinating. Any other surprising stances?

Ava: Well, here’s one you might not expect. He's a staunch, outspoken pro-tobacco campaigner.

Oliver: Wait, really? A pro-smoking advocate?

Ava: Yes! He once stood at a Labour Party conference with a card that read, 'DEATH awaits you all even if you do not smoke'. He's always been a bit of a rebel.

Oliver: Unbelievable. He truly does not care what anyone thinks. So from his early days to his public persona now, he's always challenged the norm.

Ava: That's the key takeaway. Unapologetically himself, in every aspect of life. Now, this rebellious streak is also really evident in how he approached technology, which is a whole other fascinating story.

Oliver: So, we've talked about his vibrant style, but the art market itself is a whole other world. And Hockney's work... well, it makes some serious waves.

Ava: It really does. Let me give you an example. His painting, *The Splash*, sold for about 2.6 million pounds in 2006. That's already a lot of money.

Oliver: I'll say! I couldn't even afford the splash *from* the splash.

Ava: Right? But here's the surprising part. In 2020, that same painting sold again. This time for over 23 million pounds.

Oliver: Wow. That's an incredible jump in value. It just shows how desirable his work has become over time.

Ava: Exactly. And that's not even his biggest sale. He consistently broke his own records with other works, like *Beverly Hills Housewife* and *Pacific Coast Highway*.

Oliver: Okay, so what's the big one? The main event?

Ava: That would be his 1972 masterpiece, *Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)*. It went to auction in 2018.

Oliver: I'm bracing myself. What did it go for?

Ava: A staggering 90.3 million dollars. At the time, it shattered the auction record for a living artist.

Oliver: Ninety... million? That is just mind-blowing. The pressure to hang that straight on the wall must be immense.

Ava: I can only imagine. And here’s the kicker. Hockney's original sale price for that painting back in 1972 was just twenty thousand dollars.

Oliver: Are you serious? Twenty thousand to ninety million. That's not just a return on investment; that's winning the lottery multiple times.

Ava: It truly is. And it's not just his classic paintings. Even his more recent iPad drawings have become a huge part of his market.

Oliver: From paintbrushes to pixels, his value just keeps climbing. That really makes you wonder about the forces that drive these prices so high...

Oliver: So his work was obviously a huge deal. But his influence didn't stop at the edge of the canvas, did it?

Ava: Not at all. He became a cultural figure in his own right. Filmmakers were fascinated by him. There was a biopic as early as 1974 called *A Bigger Splash*, named after his painting.

Oliver: So he was a movie star before artists were really celebrities. That’s pretty cool.

Ava: Exactly. And that was just the start. His influence spread into some really surprising areas.

Oliver: Surprising how?

Ava: Well, get this... fashion. He was inducted into Vanity Fair's Best-Dressed Hall of Fame. Burberry and Vivienne Westwood even designed collections inspired by him.

Oliver: No way. I don't usually picture famous painters as style icons. I kind of imagine them all covered in paint.

Ava: Right? But Hockney had this very distinct, bold style. GQ named him one of Britain's most stylish men. He was basically an influencer before that was even a word.

Oliver: That's incredible. So he's in films, he's a fashion icon... what else?

Ava: Well, his work pops up in the most random places. You know the show *BoJack Horseman*?

Oliver: Of course! The sad horse cartoon.

Ava: That’s the one. In BoJack's office, there's a version of Hockney's famous pool painting... but with two horses instead of people.

Oliver: That is such a deep cut. I love it. It shows how his art is just part of our visual language now. So, he clearly made his mark on culture. But what about the work itself?

Oliver: So it wasn't just about creating the art, was it? He was clearly thinking about his legacy and how his work would be seen in the future.

Ava: That's exactly right, Oliver. Which leads us perfectly to the David Hockney Foundation. He created it back in 2008 as both a UK charity and a US private foundation.

Oliver: A two-country foundation, that sounds complex. I'm guessing he funded it himself?

Ava: Oh, he definitely did. And in a huge way. In 2012, he transferred paintings valued at over 124 million dollars to the foundation.

Oliver: One hundred and twenty-four million? Wow. That's not just spring cleaning the studio, that's a serious commitment!

Ava: A very serious commitment. He even threw in over a million in cash just to help with operations. The whole mission is to help people appreciate and understand visual art, specifically through his life's work.

Oliver: So what does the foundation actually hold? What's in this massive collection?

Ava: It's an absolute treasure trove. They own over 8,000 works. We're talking paintings, drawings, prints, even his stage designs and personal photo albums.

Oliver: Photo albums? And sketchbooks too, I read? That's incredible. It’s like a direct window into his mind.

Ava: Exactly. And the best part is, this collection isn't locked away. The foundation manages loans to museums all over the globe. If you saw the big retrospectives at the Tate or the Met, you've seen the foundation's work in action.

Oliver: So it’s a living, breathing archive that keeps his art traveling the world. What an incredible thing to build. It makes you think about the tools he used to create all that work in the first place...

Oliver: So it wasn't enough for him to be a master painter and photographer... he was a writer, too?

Ava: He sure was. And not just a writer, but a real art theorist. He's published dozens of books, offering a window directly into his mind.

Oliver: So, beyond just catalogs of his paintings?

Ava: Exactly. For example, his 2006 book *Secret Knowledge* is famous. He puts forward this fascinating—and controversial—theory that many of the Old Masters used optical devices, like a camera obscura, to achieve their realism.

Oliver: No way. So he was basically an art detective?

Ava: You could say that! He backs it up with some pretty compelling visual evidence. It really made the art world stop and think. He also published his sketchbooks, like *Travels with Pen, Pencil and Ink*, which are incredible to see.

Oliver: And I have to ask about this one legendary book I read about... the one that's physically massive?

Ava: Ah, you mean *David Hockney: A Bigger Book*. And yes, it's enormous. It was published by Taschen in 2016, weighs 78 pounds, and originally cost over £1,750.

Oliver: Seventy-eight pounds! You'd need a forklift to get it on your coffee table.

Ava: Pretty much! It even came with its own custom bookstand. But here's why it matters... Hockney himself curated over 60 years of his work for it. It's less a book and more of a monument to his career.

Oliver: A very heavy monument. Okay, so from massive books to his most recognizable subjects... let's dive into his iconic use of swimming pools next.

Oliver: Okay, that was fascinating. So for our last topic, let's mix things up... and talk about the science *behind* classic art.

Ava: That's a perfect transition, Oliver. We're diving into the Hockney–Falco thesis, and it’s a controversial one.

Oliver: Hockney... as in the famous modern artist, David Hockney?

Ava: The very same. In his 2001 book, *Secret Knowledge*, he proposed a pretty radical idea about how the Old Masters created their masterpieces.

Oliver: I'm hooked. What was this so-called secret knowledge?

Ava: He argued that the sudden leap to photorealism during the Renaissance wasn't just a sudden explosion of talent. He believes artists used optical tools.

Oliver: Optical tools? Like what, Renaissance-era Photoshop?

Ava: You're not far off! He suggests they used devices like the *camera obscura* and lenses to project an image of their subject directly onto the canvas.

Oliver: Whoa. So they were essentially tracing with light?

Ava: That's the core idea. It would explain how painters achieved such perfect perspective and detail so quickly. Hockney says the technique migrated from Northern Europe down to Italy.

Oliver: That makes so much sense, but I bet it ruffled a few feathers in the art world.

Ava: It definitely did. But it’s a powerful theory that connects art and technology centuries ago.

Oliver: So to recap everything we've talked about today... from history to art... it seems the real story is always more complex than it looks.

Ava: Exactly. The key takeaway here is to always question how things were done. There's often a hidden tool or technique behind the magic.

Oliver: A perfect note to end on. A huge thank you to our expert, Ava, for sharing her insights today.

Ava: My pleasure, Oliver.

Oliver: And thank you all for listening to the Studyfi Podcast. We'll see you next time!