Last night I went to the David Hockney show at the RA(Royal Academy) of works commissions just 4 years ago. The scale of the pictures was designed especially to go on RA's big walls.
Pretty much the hottest show in town. So hot the exhibit is open till midnight on Fridays. I went at 6pm and waited about a half hour. It was very cold and I was not dressed properly. Nevermind.
Once inside it was warm and crowded in a cocktail party manner...
People were milling around somewhat matter of factly...
I LOVED this wall of big casual watercolors.
Of course one shouldn't be taking photos! Of course not...
LOVED this big value study charcoal drawing - there were lots of these too.
There was lots of everything David Hockney landscape.
Big rooms full of it...
And many HUGE paintings I didn't dare to shoot - one made up of 60 canvases!
The Hockney nine-screen films are wonderful.
Loved this tap dancing number to Tea For Two.
This chair is soooo Hockney.
Then the Yorkshire Wolds landscape films, shot with 9 cameras mounted on the bonnet of a slow-moving jeep. Hockney sat in the back seat directing, using a grid of 9 monitors to 'draw' the scene. Hockney does not view this new strand of his work as a diversion, but rather another method of depicting the landscape.
Outside endless books on Hockney to peruse - a big room full of them.
A Hockney number painting printed on watercolor paper(3.95£) so you can DIY.
A terrific small facsimile of a David Hockney watercolor sketchbook.
A page inside is full of layered patterns, yet fresh and spontaneous.
Doesn't my (very warming) veggie soup from Itsu(3.20£) accross the street from RA look a bit similar?
I should have bought this Hockney fridge magnet(3.95£)
Or a Hockney tree cup(?£). Instead I bought a red wooley non-Hockney scarf(50£) Brrrrrrrr
Don't miss the Hockney show if you're in London.
And if you're not, get on the next plane/train over.