Late this morning, coffee in hand I hopped on the #8 and with a very heavy footed tram driver made my way from South Yarra toward the city and the National Gallery of Victoria.
I stepped off the tram into the Melbourne sun, coffee still hot, I found a spot on the footpath and plonked myself down. As I sat there, sending off my own snapchat (of course) I watched as 90% of the people outside the Gallery took their selfies (multiple times, because you know… angles and stuff). I wondered if they were there because they knew whose work was inside, a fan of the latest exhibition, a tourist just getting a photo outside the gallery with no intention of actually setting foot inside, or someone who just thinks turning up to a gallery wandering around and pretending the art means something to them, might give off the illusion that they are cultured in some way… or, are they like me… an artist stuck in the wanders of my own mind yet captivated by others creativity.

Either way, I needed inspiration and David Hockney, I decided, was going to give it to me.
So, $22 later I was in.
As I walked down the long corridor entry way, there was an emptiness to it, almost an isolation, although this may have felt different if I wasn’t the only person walking this path at the time. Nevertheless, toward a screen I approached, a portrait appearing, digitally being created before my eyes…. this was the start.

For those who know me, know this… I am not a fan of technology when it comes to creating. I try, but im just not there yet. I prefer film over digital, and paint over print however, I was going to give this a chance.  Hockney is a painter, after all.

Images created and displayed on ipads/iphones full the first room, digital paintings appearing line by line displayed on screens larger than life next to the smallest of images displayed on iphones line the walls of the first room. Walking through you can see how the images created before peoples eyes captivates them, unknowingly to them I suspect as to why. I wondered to myself, if it was the idea of the image and the image itself eg. the beauty of the ‘painting’ that was holding their attention, or was it the fixation of the moving image, of technology, that had their focus. Either way, for Hockney, it was working, people were paying attention… even me.

Moving on to a room full of trees, I felt as though I was the centre of a painted forest. This you must experience for yourself. Hockney, like myself, has a thing for trees. This, I appreciate, digital or otherwise. He (Hockney) thinks of them, the trees in likeness to individual people which I understand completely.
This is then followed naturally by large, digitally painted and created images featuring bold bright, yet natural colours and a focus on nature full the room. The large images, from afar appear as if they had been painted in a more traditional sense, with paint being applied directly to the canvas rather than the reality, being, many printed squares side by side making up the larger image. Still, I could not help but feel in awe of the work.

Then, the great hall of portraiture (well that’s what I like to call it anyway). A 60 metre long gallery, the walls lined with acrylic on canvas portraits of Hockney’s friends, family and acquaintances. Each portrait the subject sits on the same seat, Hockney, when describing the work in a video near the end of the show states that…”after about 20, I thought this is quite good. Same chair, same things, but they all looked like individuals”, and its true, the scene is the same, the subject however is different, only in the sense of who the subject is because really each portrait has the same background, the subject is sitting on the same chair, the subject itself is actually the same, being a person, but it’s the person, the personality that makes each one unique and Hockney captures that.

The rest, being the moving images… the video work, you will have to go and see yourself. Hockney states in the video interview at the end of the show, “Video brings its time to you, and you, bring your time to painting” and on that note, I bring my time to painting.

All in all I am impressed, I am inspired and at the end of the day, a 79year old artist is more up to play with the advances in technology and its relationship with art than my supposedly tech savvy 27 year old self. Good on ya, Hockney.

 

Inspired by David Hockney, this is a 1min sketch of him admiring his own work.

– Alexandra Wilkinson

• Everything written above is of my experience and knowledge gained within the David Hockney exhibition at the NGV on 3rd December, 2016.