Artlyst has visited Annely Juda Fine Art for an exclusive look at the latest series of works from great British artist David Hockney that opens on 9 July, with his series of 16 iPad drawings and 4 large drawings printed on paper from Hockney’s series The Arrival of Spring. These prints were first shown at the Royal Academy in 2012 in Hockney’s successful exhibition ‘The Bigger Picture’. The works depict the different stages of the Arrival of Spring in the form of vibrantly bright springtime scenes created for printing on an iPad.
David Hockney, The Arrival Of Spring, Annely Juda Fine Art, © photo P A Black Artlyst 2015
The works express the artist’s deft lightness of touch in terms of juxtaposing different graphic mediums; the practice of iPad drawing began after Hockney’s stroke in 2012. The artist explained the effect this had on his work in a conversation last year.
David Hockney, The Arrival Of Spring, Annely Juda Fine Art, © photo P A Black Artlyst 2015
“The minor stroke only manifested itself in my speech. I found I couldn’t finish sentences, and although it came back after about a month I find now I talk a lot less. But it did not affect my drawing, I think it even made me concentrate more.
David Hockney, The Arrival Of Spring, Annely Juda Fine Art, © photo P A Black Artlyst 2015
I thought, well I’m OK so long as I can draw, I don’t really need to say much anymore; I thought, I’ve said enough already.
David Hockney, The Arrival Of Spring, Annely Juda Fine Art, © photo P A Black Artlyst 2015
When I sent the drawings to California Gregory said straight away he thought there was a difference he could see. Anyway all I did for the next six months was draw with charcoal.
David Hockney, The Arrival Of Spring, Annely Juda Fine Art, © photo P A Black Artlyst 2015
I made about twenty-five portrait drawings that took two days each to do, and kept up The Arrival of Spring drawings, which I was very keen to show in San Francisco in my Bigger Exhibition at the end of last year.
David Hockney, The Arrival Of Spring, Annely Juda Fine Art, © photo P A Black Artlyst 2015
The colour prints are from the iPad. These were drawn in 2011 and first shown at the Royal Academy in 2012, and so I have made just small editions of them. Some took two or three days to draw, and they were all drawn knowing they would be printed bigger. They were deliberately made for printing.”
Photos: Paul Black © Artlyst 2015 All rights reserved
David Hockney: The Arrival of Spring – Annely Juda Fine Art – until 29 August 2015