Pop Art inspired by British Artist David Hockney (Tue 16.6.20)

Good morning Year 6!

Today you will be creating artwork which communicate emotions and a sense of self with accuracy and imagination.

David Hockney, (born 9 July 1937) is a British painter, draftsman, printmaker, stage designer, and photographer.

 

 

As an important contributor to the pop art movement of the 1960s, he is considered one of the most influential British artists of the 20th century.

Watch this video: Tate Kids: Who is David Hockney?

On 15 November 2018, Hockney’s 1972 work Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures) sold at Christie’s auction house in New York City for $90 million (£70 million), becoming the most expensive painting by a living artist sold at auction! How cool is that?!

David Hockney is one of the most important painters of the 20th century. If you were to Google, famous British painters, there’s a good chance that Hockney’s name will appear. Born in Bradford in 1937, Hockney was one of the big artists involved in the pop art movement in the 1960s.

Pop Art

 

Pop art was a style of art that was bright, full of colour. It was made by lots of young artists who felt that the art they saw in galleries was a little bit boring. To find out more about pop art, watch this handy video.

WHAT DOES HE LIKE TO PAINT?

David Hockney
Going Up Garrowby Hill 2000
Private Collection © David Hockney

 

Hockney lives in London, but owns two other homes in California. You can imagine then that a lot of his work varies, because California and the UK are very different places. California is usually always sunny, where as in England the weather changes all the time. So, when painting in England, Hockney likes to paint the seasons. In Going Up Garrowby Hill, Hockney has painted a canvas of the landscape in Yorkshire, where he was brought up. There are lots of different colours. Why do you think this?

A Bigger Splash 1967
Tate
© David Hockney

 

When in California, his paintings are colourful and bold. In A Bigger Splash, Hockney paints a swimming pool. It looks like someone has just jumped into the water. The blue is so bright that you want to get on the diving board and jump in too. And look at how tall those palm trees are! You won’t find palm trees like that in England.

DOES HE LIKE PAINTING PEOPLE?

Yes! Lots of Hockney’s work involves painting people he loves. This is usually pairs of people. My Parents is a painting of his mum and dad and is probably one of his most famous. Look at how he illustrates their personalities. His mother sits upright and attentive, while his father is absorbed in his paper and seems a little bit on the edge of his seat. It’s like Hockney has captured how he feels about his parents in a painting that will last forever.

Hockney wants to capture his relationships with the people he knew. Many of his paintings are of men that he loved and spent time with. Like the painting of his parents, they show a tenderness towards the people who really mattered for Hockney. This includes his friends and other couples Hockney admired. 

 

Hockney is still painting and trying lots of new experiments with art. Some of his most recent work includes painting on iPads. The great thing about iPads is that once the work has been complete, you can go back and see how the painting was created. It’s like rewinding time. Isn’t that incredible?

How do you feel about Hockney’s work? Tell us in the comments below!

Today’s task: Try picking up a paintbrush or iPad and start painting like Hockney. Start with bold colours and paint your local park or other favourite place you like to go to or miss going to. Or, if you like painting people, maybe start by painting your family. Try and show how you feel about them in your painting. Please write a comment to describe your painting in the comments.

You can send in your work via the Homework Uploader.

I can’t wait to see!

Mrs Avdiu xx

printer-friendly version: Tuesday art blog