David Hockney: A Bigger Picture

Just watched the beautiful "David Hockney, A Bigger Picture" DVD documentary about his journey as he returns to paint his native Yorkshire.It 's a beautiful journey from his main residence in Los Angeles, CA to the landscape he loved as a boy and whom he actually worked in those very East Yorkshire fields when he was a school boy.A friend actually said to him, "You were very happy working in the fields in Yorkshire" Hockney said, "I was actually". You could tell it was a very touching memory for him.The film makes clear it wasn't like he never returned to his native England as he mentioned he would go approximately 4 times per year and even more when his Mother was dying (she lived to a robust 99 year old) but he was just compelled somehow to return and stay.What I love most about it is the beautiful closeups of Hockney actually painting, on site, in plein air. It's just scrumptious to watch that beautiful oil paint being applied to the canvases, the oil color being moved and blended together with such artistry.You see him painting clouds, fields, roadways, thickets, and trees - lot of trees. As Hockney has said, trees are "like faces - every one is different. Nature doesn't repeat itself". Winter trees were particularly difficult to capture, he said. "You have to observe carefully; there's a randomness."He actually started the "Yorkshire Paintings" by first doing watercolours. He mentioned he did them in his car. They are pretty amazing and it's cool that many of them are highlighted on the DVD.He is still such a wonderful, charming character (now approaching 70) with that snappy Brit humor. He gives such honest and revealing insight on his painting process on the landscape on how he "sees" the world.You get the feeling he somehow needed to get these paintings done. It's such an incredible burst of creativity that he immersed himself in and it's such privilege to be a voyeaur on watching this all via film. You see him laughing, his assistant getting him sandwiches, the wind knocking over his canvases. It's just plain fun to watch.He reminds me a lot of Van Gogh and his painting process with these paintings. He works very fast, often completing canvases in an hour or 2 (depending, of course, on the size) It's, again, like he is racing with time to complete these. I clearly got that sense when watching.The apex of the film is a 50 canvas work called, "Bigger Trees near Warter (2007)", is a monumental-scale view of a coppice in Hockney's native Yorkshire, between Bridlington and York. It's the largest painting Hockney has ever completed and has since donated it to the Tate Museum.It's interesting that they interview artist Damien Hirst (famous for his "Dot" paintings) as he is looking through some of Hockney's catalogues and mentions "there's a sadness about these paintings" which I thought was very insightful and I got it almost the minute after he said that.All in all, this was great to watch. We get a very intimate portrait of this great artist and to get to see his creative painting process is really a treat for the mind, heart and eye.

Wow! What an irresistible film with a subtle charm like its subject. Hockney, as subject, proves to be an engaging individual who is grateful for life. This film chronicles the process of him creating art through three years in Yorkshire, England with occasional forays to L.A. He is willing to be filmed as he says he wishes he could have watched Rembrandt work, what did he put on the canvas first, then next?The film is understated in a charming way which allows Hockney to emerge in relief. He is painting his native Yorkshire in about a canvas a day. Then he graduates to a painting consisting of six canvases combined. Then he produces a masterpiece for the Royal Academy. The unveiling of that is moving. It required many, perhaps 50, canvases.Hockney has an effervescence. You see him in his home, with his friends and meet his sister. She admits he has a certain kind of power. When asked in L.A. at a retrospective if his art has a message he responds if it does it is to "love life". He says he sees life "as a big gift" and claims his love for looking brings him much happiness. He quotes Van Gogh that he may have lost his father's faith but it has been replaced by faith in the "infinity of nature". He agrees with a Chinese saying that art requires three things: the hand, the heart and the head. Can't have just two of them.This film lets you into the heart and head of David Hockney and allows you to watch his hand at work.

This film was quite a surprise in that it is very insightful not only into Hockney's painting techniques but also into his philosophy of painting and life. You will not only find him a very sophisticated thinker but one who expresses himself in a quite simple way which is reflected in his landscape paintings. His plein air paintings at first appear as sketches compared to photo based paintings but when viewed as a group they are serious serial paintings much like Monet's Haystack series of paintings.The film creates a very relaxed feeling with his dialogue and the setting of Yorkshire, you will feel like you are standing right beside him while he paints and you might even feel the exuberance of nature at its finest . The film does start out with him in Hollywood but quickly shifts back to his roots in England and especially the rolling hills and country lanes of the Yorkshire. The additional bonus hour of interviews with the artist, other artists, critics and the producer at the end of this film show his human qualities in a quite honest way which enriches the viewing experience even more.I must added that the musical score by George Taylor really enriches the film experience. If this film was required for art students we might see an entire new generation of landscape painters. We are living in a great time when such great artist can be recorded painting and talking about their work, can you imagine if this technology had been around when earlier great artist were alive. I think any viewer of the film and especially artists will put this movie toward the top of their list of art documentaries. Highly recommended.

This is a charming and intimate portrait of Hockney which gives the viewer a very rare insight into the artistic process. It is tremendously inspiring and extraordinary watch-able. It is the result of obvious dedication and determination - I cannot begin to imagine the perseverance that must have been required to follow this project to the end.To be completely honest, I first saw this on a long haul journey somewhere between Sydney and London. I was having trouble sleeping and I put it on expecting to fall asleep around 10 minutes in. I was captivated. I watched it to the end, had a snooze, and watched it again. One of the first things I did when I got home was to order the DVD. It arrived, I watched it again. I leant it to a friend to watch. She watched it twice.Here's hoping for more from Bruno Wollheim.

Sublime

Was a gift for someone

Had to wait quite a while to receive this but really appreciated a message from the sender informing me and apologizing for the delay. And it was definitely worth the wait. How often do you get to watch artists at work?The filming was very natural, itself 'en plein air'. If you are a fan of Hockney's art and his attitude to life you will love this.

Packed with interesting details of the life and work of this very innovative English visual artist. A superb production that kept my interest throughout. I would have liked to have seen Hockney's progression into digital art, but that must be the subject for a second volume.