Artist David Hockney, Alive and Well at 87 Years Old
David Hockney, alive and well at 87 years old (2024) once said; “We always see with memory”. And this is true. The art or the seeing with memory are loosely associated techniques used to organize memory impressions, and assist in the combination and ‘invention’ of ideas in art. David Hockney is a master of expressing this in his work. His art represents moments in time that are captured in large scale.
Hockney is an English painter, draughtsman, printmaker, stage designer and photographer. He attended the Bradford College of Art and the Royal College of Art in London. Hockney is 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.
Hockney is an active arts advocate and his work is widely recognized, awarded and in fact he was even offered a knighthood (which he declined). In 2012, Queen Elizabeth II appointed him to the Order of Merit, an honor restricted to 24 members at any one time for their contributions to the arts and sciences. He is also highly praised for adopting technology, with artworks created on the iPad. Admittedly he didn’t take to the Apple device quickly. “It took me awhile to realize it’s quite a serious tool you can use,” he said.
Hockney Swimming Pool Paintings
In the 1960’w when Hockney emigrated to the United States he was known for his ‘swimming pool’ paintings and his most famous is A Bigger Splash, named after one of Hockney’s most famous swimming pool paintings from 1967.
This painting above, Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures) is a large acrylic-on-canvas measuring 7 ft x 10 ft and was completed in May 1972. In 2018, his painting Portrait of an Artist (Pool With Two Figures) sold for $90.3 million, then the highest sale ever for a living artist.
David Hockney Trees and Landscapes
From pools to landscapes, Hockney painted a series of landscape paintings to express his love for the natural environment. Hockney composed his landscape paintings in acrylics over multiple canvases.
Hockney’s work continues to amaze, even into his senior years. His style evolves into new places as he ages and his work is not only an inspiration for the arts but for graphic design too.
As you get older, it gets a bit harder to keep the spontaneity in you, but I work at it.
-David Hockney
When I’m not in the studio, I feel my age, he says. But when I am in my studio, I feel 30.
-David Hockney
