David Hockney: A Life in Art

When you think about California, you probably imagine bright-blue skies over modernist buildings, palm trees, and swimming pools. But why? Most likely because of David Hockney. His mid-1960s paintings of Southern California created a vision of the state that persists today. But how did someone born in an industrial town in northern England end up defining how we imagine California? The answer lies in his lifelong interest in exploring place and what it means to him.

What do you see when you think of California? Blue skies, palm trees, and swimming pools? That might be thanks to artist David Hockney. In the 1960s, he painted scenes of Southern California. His vision sticks with people today.

Hockney isn’t from California. He was born in northern England. He has always been interested in exploring place and what it means to him.

Hockney was born in 1937. He always knew he wanted to be an artist and enrolled in art school when he was 16. He created the collaged self-portrait, above, when he was 17. A few years later, he went to the Royal College of Art in London, where art critics called him a rising star.

In 1964, Hockney moved to California. Everything about his new home was different from what he had known growing up: the warm, sunny weather; the relaxed yet glamorous lifestyle; and the freedom to be himself. He fell in love with the place—and representing it in his art. He soon completed his most famous painting ever: A Bigger Splash, 1967, above.

“A splash could never be seen this way in real life, it happens too quickly,” Hockney explains. “And I was amused by this, so I painted it in a very, very slow way.”

Hockney composes the scene with areas of flat color, interrupted by palm trees in the sky and reflections in the windows. The splash bursts from the pool, inviting viewers to wonder who—or what— is just beneath the surface.

Hockney was born in 1937. When he was 16, he went to art school. At age 17, he created the collaged self-portrait, shown above, out of paper. He went to the Royal College of Art in London.

In 1964, Hockney moved to California. His new home was different from where he grew up. California was warm and sunny. The way of life was relaxed. Hockney felt free to be himself. He fell in love with the place— and with showing it in his art.

Hockney soon completed his most famous painting, his 1967 A Bigger Splash, shown above. Hockney composes the scene with flat color. He adds details with palm trees in the sky and reflections in the windows. The splash bursts from the pool. Hockney invites you to wonder who—or what—is making the splash.

In addition to outdoor scenes, Hockney has also made portraits throughout his career. Double portraits, like his 1970-71 Mr. and Mrs. Clark and Percy, above, focus on people, but place is still a defining factor. The artist paints his subjects, usually his friends and family, in their homes, which makes the paintings more personal.

The figures in this painting gaze toward you, welcoming you in, as Percy (the cat!) looks out the window. Hockney uses light to create depth and to emphasize the spaces within the scene. The exterior space through the window is bright. It contrasts with the more saturated colors and deeper shadows in the interior space.

Hockney also makes portraits. He completed Mr. and Mrs. Clark and Percy, above, in 1971. People are the focus of Hockney’s portraits, but place is still important. The artist’s subjects are usually his friends and family in their homes.

The figures in this painting gaze toward the viewer. This welcomes you into the scene. Hockney uses light from the window to create depth within the scene. The outside space is bright. The indoor space has more shadows.

Technology and how it can inform art has always interested Hockney. He has experimented with Polaroid cameras, photocopiers, fax machines, iPhones, and iPads. His latest investigation is with immersive installations.

This trend has exploded in popularity around the world in the past few years, and Hockney is the first living artist to exhibit his work this way. Shown in the photograph above, David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (Not Smaller and Further Away) opened in London in 2022. As Hockney narrates, projected images of some of his most important works bathe viewers in color and light. The installation invites people into the spaces and places he has painted throughout his career.

Hockney, who is now 85, shows no sign of slowing down. “I’m still too excited about what I will do tomorrow. You don’t retire doing this,” he says. “You just do it till you fall over. It’s an interesting life.”

Immersive installations like Hockney’s shown above are popular. Projected images of Hockney’s art cover viewers in light and color. An audio recording of Hockney talking about his art plays. He invites people into the places he’s painted. As visitors walk around the space, the technology and the artwork engage their senses in a big way. This is what makes the installation immersive.

Hockney is the first living artist to show his work this way. David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (Not Smaller and Further Away), opened in London in 2022.

Hockney is now 85, but he hasn’t stopped making art. “I’m still too excited about what I will do tomorrow,” he says. “You just do it till you fall over.”