On my way back from London where I was attending color-forecasting meetings, I enjoyed several days in New York where I delivered a seminar at the National Stationery Show. The Big Apple is always full of interesting things to do and see and, on that particular weekend, I noted that a film was being shown at Lincoln Center that I had read about. The subject was David Hockney, the English-born artist, and the film is simply titled: “Hockney”.
Hockney has always fascinated me. He arrived in Los Angeles at about the same time I did—in the golden Beach Boys days when the surf was always up and so was the mood of L.A. It was a magical place, filled with sunshine and energy. It was a Technicolor city spread out between orange groves, mountains, and the ever-presence of the blue Pacific,but if sea-and- sand was not readily available, there were the ubiquitous swimming pools.
Hockney managed to capture the feel and look of the area through his many paintings,especially those of swimming pools. He was so enamored of the California lifestyle– “It’s got all the energy of the United States but with the Mediterranean thrown in,” says David Hockney of Southern California in the new feature-length documentary Hockney—and its pools, that he painted a mural on the bottom of the pool at the iconic Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood—the scene of many parties and photo shoots.
The film I saw at the Lincoln Center was a delight, showing much of Hockney’s wide array of talents. The director of the film, Randall Wright, stated that his mission was to show a “strong sense of place from two very different landscapes– the vast bright spaces of California and the moody hills of East Yorkshire. The creative push and pull of these absolute opposite environments energizes David’s constant search for answers, both creative and personal.“ He also pointed out that “digital cinema is now brilliant for reproducing painting. The color accuracy and the image resolution is breathtaking.
David’s paintings look stunning on the big screen.”
Indeed they do, and should you have a chance to view this engaging story of an artist and his life and work, it is well worth the time. To whet your appetite, watch the YouTube trailer for the film.
