Hockney is a pioneer of the British Pop Art movement in the early 1960’s alongside Richard Hamilton, Hockney gained recognition for his semi-abstract paintings on the theme of homosexual love before it was decriminalised in England in 1967. Hockney began painting scenes of the sensual and uninhibited life of athletic young men, depicting swimming pools, palm trees, and perpetual sunshine. Experimenting with photography in the mid-1970’s.
Hockney is an immense painter, but he has also known recognition through his photography as mentioned. Hockney makes judgemental comments about photography for example ‘Photography is only good for mechanical reproduction’. Photography can’t show time’. Hockney comments he has seen a various of photographers shoot hundreds of pictures but they are all basically the same. They are hoping that in one fraction of a second something will make that face look as if there were a longer moment. If you take a hundred, surely one will be good. It could be anybody doing it. There are a few good photographs, and those good ones that do exist are almost accidental. Photography has failed. How many truly notable pictures are there? Considering the millions of photographs taken, there are few memorable images in this medium, which should tell us something. Photography can’t lead us to a new way of seeing. It may have other possibilities but only painting can extend the way of seeing’.
(http://www.hockneypictures.com/bibliography.php)
The above photographs are from Hockney series of work, which represents four different collages broken up. Although I don’t personally agree with everything Hockney has mentioned, as I think photography can be considered differently to painting and not all photographs fail, yes it takes along time to get that right shot what you’re looking for, but that’s the whole point of photography. But I do agree with that a photograph doesn’t make that shot longer as it is just that one shot you’re taking and not several which makes a moving image.
With Hockney’s collages he separates his shots and duplicates sections of the shot to dramatical change those parts to make them look longer. He took polaroid shots and glued them together, not intending for them to be a composition on their own. Upon looking at the final composition, he realised it created a narrative, as if the viewer was moving through the room. Hockney began to work more an more with photography after his discovery and even stopped painting for a period of time to exclusively pursue this new style of photography. Hockney thinks he has overcome is the limited perspective of a stationary camera. A single photograph can only show one point of view, usually for a small period of time. ”All photographs share the same fly, ‘Lack of time.’ The idea behind Hockney’s grid was to inject multiple reference points into photography, in short to make it cubist.
My stylistic approach for this assignment has been David Hockney. He is been the most approachable artist who I personally think is similar to mine. In my opinion because of the way he portrays different photographs in a photomontage style, which is intriguing and fascinating. I feel like i tried to include this type of style in my shots which therefore got myself influenced by Hockney’s Work.
As I’ve mentioned Hockney portrays a multiple view points as like the photograph is moving or there being displayed for a longer period of time. In my opinion I believe it fits in with my concept with child poverty as personally people don’t see enough about poverty so with me doing a photomontage onto an image which represents a strong meaning to the public would work well if i portray it in a way that Hockney has.
Hockney’s artwork is so fascinating and enthralling to look at. I find it quite confusing to visually view as it takes a few minutes for you’re eyes to adjust to the technique. As there’s a lot going on in that one shot. In my opinion that’s what gives Hockney that personal touch to his photomontages and make him his own artist.