A History of Pictures: From the Cave to the Computer Screen

After reading A Bigger Message and Spring Cannot Be Cancelled I really wanted to read this conversational book about the history of pictures. I am not disappointed; what a great inside from one of the best ever artists of this century David Hockney and art critic Martin Gayford!

This is a conversation between (well known) artist David Hockney and (unknown, to me) art critic Martin Gayford loosely structured around topics from the history of art, taken in a rather broad sense and including photography. Or maybe it should really be called a "conversation," because Gayford serves exclusively as a mouthpiece, elaborating on the master's opinions, but never even hinting at the slightest trace of a doubt or dissent. That makes the whole construction feel even more artificial than it was to begin with.I quite enjoyed reading Hockney's little remarks on all sorts of topics that are spread throughout the book, even though I don't agree with much of it. If only it had been more of this, it would have been a rather satisfying read. As it is, way too much space is (again, after having written a whole book on this already) spent on what seems to have become an obsession of Hockney's, namely his claims that use of optical tools must have been widespread among the old masters. I personally neither find the topic that interesting or relevant nor the thesis very convincing; a plausible case against it in the case of Vermeer is presented in  Vermeer: The Complete Works . Hockney now seems to have abandoned all attempts at coherence, and the argument goes roughly as follows: (1) Look at how realistically painting A is painted; no way he could have done this without optical tools; (2) Look at these elementary errors in painting B; I can easily explain this as a consequence of the use of certain optical tools.Overall, I'd still say this is worth a read if you are interested in art, but it could have been much better in a more traditional single author format and with a little more focus and self-critical editing.

A massive art book - David Hockney's a History of Pictures - 100's of great images in every media, interpreted/explained by a great artist

‘One of my ansestors was probably a cave artist,’ David Hockney says. ‘I think cave art must have been to do with someone getting a piece of chalk or something and drawing an animal. Another person sees it and perhaps gestures or reacts, meaning, ‘I’ve seen something like that!’’ (p. 25) ‘The date 1839 is not a big one in conventional art history,’ Hockney says. ‘… It seems the history of art is all very comfortable until the invention of photography. … The truth is that photography is the child of painting.’ (p. 228) Hockney lead us from the cave to the computer screen. ‘Art hasn’t ended, and neither has the history of pictures,’ Hockney says. ‘People get the idea from time to time that everything is finishing. It doesn’t end at all; it just goes on and on and on.’ (p. 341) Throughout this whole book, I feel strongly that we are fortunately encouraged by David Hockney.

Hockney's book is a wonderful description of Carvaggio and others used photography in it's earliest form to deliver their master pieces. It intertwines the history of photography as it developed with the artists who used it as a tool to help paint. But what was fascinating was his clear description and pointers that allowed me to see the identifiers.Of course, after reading this one, I had to go over to the library and borrow his other book "The Secret Knowledge"... an equally fascinating read.Highly recommend it.

I enjoyed this book very much. It is a nice review and commentary on famous works of artists over the centuries. I will no doubt go back and reread this book in the future.

Fascinating, and the best of all worlds, a scholarly book that reads as a conversation. Years of Art School and Art History, not to mention scads of art books and monographic studies, this volume shines brightly. Great information, thoughts and insights. I found the combination of Hockney and Gayford to be brilliant, stimulating and difficult to put down.

Great book! Love everything about this

Hockneys Gedanken und Einsichten sind ausgesprochen lehhreich und anregend. Sie eröffnen eine neue Sicht auf die Kunst.

I've read a few books by Martin Gayford that I really enjoyed. Particularly his book about his portrait being painted by Lucian Freud,"Man in the Blue Scarf". If you paint yourself, which I do, or have a strong interest in painting, the conversation between Hockney and Gayford will excite, entertain and perhaps even challenge your view about pictures. Hockney is a famous artist that understands many things about the process of painting and its history. Gayford is a good writer and interviewer and has a long friendship with Hockney. Two strong voices expand each other's thoughts and create a dialogue which is very readable. The paintings they reference are well organized with the text which makes it easy to look at the images they are discussing. The book's price is a bit high but worth it.

Really enjoy the back and forth text of these two authors. Reproductions are good quality. The layout is excellent. Not a book to rush through, one to savour.

Another readable book by Hockney and Gayford.