David Hockney: A Life in Paint
David Hockney earned the title of “pop star” early in his career and his artwork is now copied in books, posters, jackets, t-shirts, shopping bags, and picture books. Even though there are art critics that believe that the demands of art cannot be met by painting incidents from ones own life, this is not true for David Hockney. He uses his homosexuality, his moves to California and his relationships with friends and family to create his pieces of art.
David Hockney’s early work expressed his excitement and freedom after he confessed that he was homosexual. Adhesiveness, We Two Boys Together Clinging, Doll Boy, and The Most Beautiful Boy in the World are paintings in which David Hockney expressed his homosexuality. Hockney was influenced by the poet Walt Whitman and used Whitman’s numerical order to name the figures in his paintings and he also used lines from one of Whitman’s poem to give deeper meaning to the painting We Two Boys Together Clinging. In Hockney’s paintings Adhesiveness and We Two Boys Together Clinging, it is clear that the figures are engaged in sexual acts. In Doll Boy, David Hockney painted the words “your love means more to me”. This could be directed at the figure in the painting or as part of his general theme of homosexuality. All of these paintings show a theme of homosexuality, something that Hockney did not mind admitting to.
During his first move to California, David Hockney painted Domestic Scene Los Angeles, California, Two Boys in a Pool, Peter Getting Out of Nick’s Pool, A Lawn Being Sprinkled, and A Bigger Splash. The first four paintings listed still show Hockney’s theme of homosexuality and his obsession with naked men. Hockney also no longer needed to add text in order to avoid abstraction because his work became a more life-like and it became easier to identify the people. All of these paintings also show Hockney’s desire to play with the look of water and different ways to represent it.
In the 1960s, Hockney started painting relationships. He paid particular attention to the relationship between the people in the painting and also his relationship to them. A few of these paintings are Henry Geldzahler and Christopher Scott, Mr. and Mrs. Clark and Percy, and My Parents. In Henry Geldzahler and Christopher Scott, Hockney painted Christopher with his coat on, showing that he is always leaving and he painted Henry sitting on a couch, showing that Henry is more commonly found at home. Henry and Hockney probably had a better relationship as well because Henry is looking at Hockney and Christopher is not. Hockney painted the tensions within the marriage of the Clarks in Mr. and Mrs. Clark and Percy and the marriage eventually ended in a divorce. Hockney painted his relationship to his parents in My Parents. By looking at the painting, one can see thatHockney had a stronger relationship with his mother than with his father. This is seen by the direction his parents are facing.
After he moved back to California in the late 1970s, Hockney started painting landscapes. Hockney’s purpose in making these landscape paintings was to make the eye move across the canvas as if one was walking or driving down the road. Nicolas Canyon and Pacific Coast Highway and Santa Monica both accomplish this. Hockney eventually moved back to England but he still painted landscapes. Garrowsby Hill is just one example. This painting is different from his California landscapes but he still used the long road winding throughout the land to catch a viewer’s eye.
Prompts:
1. Pick one or two paintings and describe how the painting(s) make you feel, what you see, and why you think Hockney might have painted the painting(s).
2. Do you think Hockney's paintings of California are a good or bad representation of the state?
3. Compare the paintings Nicolas Canyon (California) and Garrowsby Hill (England). Which area do you think Hockney liked better and why? What can the painting tell you about Hockney?
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Olympia's Look
Vreeland describes Suzanne Manet soon after her husband dies of syphilis in a way that depicts Suzanne’s character. There are two passages in Vreeland’s short story Olympia’s Look that strongly show this Suzanne’s personality and also how it changed in just a matter or days.
The first passage is the first section of the short story. Suzanne Manet has an unexpected visitor come to call one day and the visitor turns out to be her nephew, Albert. Albert, a promising artist, is asked by Suzanne to take her husband’s paintings and copy them because she needs to sell them for money yet has a hard time parting with his work. I found this passage interesting because it showed how much love Suzanne had for her husband even though his loyalty could be questioned. She supported his work and buy selling his work, something she tells Albert Manet wanted her to do, she is allowing the world a chance to enjoy and love the paintings as well, a very gracious act. I found it strange that Suzanne gave her husband’s paintings different names than the ones he gave himself until I thought through what her reasons could be. I believe that Suzanne gave the art work different names because being a woman she saw a different meaning or interpretation of the pieces of work. Suzanne is perceptive and smart; she thinks on her own and also gives good reasoning for the names she gives when asked. Another reason why someone could think that Suzanne is loving is because of how she tries to support Albert in his career by giving him a chance to practice and a chance to learn from the works of a master painter. Suzanne is also jealous of all the women her husband painted because he loved them in a way that he did not love her. Like she said, “He relished all of [his models] as if they were succulent fruit” (74). Yet even through her jealousy she wanted her husband to be remembered for when he was healthy and not for his sickness. Suzanne says she is Dutch and does not act like the French women. To me this makes Suzanne simpler, and less promiscuous. She is always loyal and honest.
The second passage that I felt was the most important and also the strongest was when Suzanne goes to Victorine’s house. It is here that Suzanne has a true revelation and sees that her husband had to love her more then all of the models he used. She stood by him no matter what. Suzanne was there when he was being rebuked by other artists. She had held his hand and soothed him after he awoke from a nightmare; she comforted him. Suzanne was there when the doctor’s had to remove her husband’s leg due to gangrene. She did not leave him through all the hard and trying times that they had to live through. She truly loved her husband because she was always there. While trying to make Victorine feel bad, she instead lifts herself up and becomes stronger. Suzanne can also be seen as forgiving because in the she went to Victorine’s house, an act that could not have been easy considering that Suzanne believed that her husband was intimate with this woman, and because she meant to pay Victorine some of the money that her husband had promised. (However she never had to since the painting did not sell at the auction.) I would not call Suzanne cruel for telling Victorine all the horrid details of her husband’s illness because she was stating that facts and in the end it did more good for Suzanne then bad.
Suzanne’s character grows in this short story. She starts out as an upset, grieving, unloved woman but at the end of the story she grows into a strong, loved, forgiving woman who looks at all the good her life held instead of the bad.
The first passage is the first section of the short story. Suzanne Manet has an unexpected visitor come to call one day and the visitor turns out to be her nephew, Albert. Albert, a promising artist, is asked by Suzanne to take her husband’s paintings and copy them because she needs to sell them for money yet has a hard time parting with his work. I found this passage interesting because it showed how much love Suzanne had for her husband even though his loyalty could be questioned. She supported his work and buy selling his work, something she tells Albert Manet wanted her to do, she is allowing the world a chance to enjoy and love the paintings as well, a very gracious act. I found it strange that Suzanne gave her husband’s paintings different names than the ones he gave himself until I thought through what her reasons could be. I believe that Suzanne gave the art work different names because being a woman she saw a different meaning or interpretation of the pieces of work. Suzanne is perceptive and smart; she thinks on her own and also gives good reasoning for the names she gives when asked. Another reason why someone could think that Suzanne is loving is because of how she tries to support Albert in his career by giving him a chance to practice and a chance to learn from the works of a master painter. Suzanne is also jealous of all the women her husband painted because he loved them in a way that he did not love her. Like she said, “He relished all of [his models] as if they were succulent fruit” (74). Yet even through her jealousy she wanted her husband to be remembered for when he was healthy and not for his sickness. Suzanne says she is Dutch and does not act like the French women. To me this makes Suzanne simpler, and less promiscuous. She is always loyal and honest.
The second passage that I felt was the most important and also the strongest was when Suzanne goes to Victorine’s house. It is here that Suzanne has a true revelation and sees that her husband had to love her more then all of the models he used. She stood by him no matter what. Suzanne was there when he was being rebuked by other artists. She had held his hand and soothed him after he awoke from a nightmare; she comforted him. Suzanne was there when the doctor’s had to remove her husband’s leg due to gangrene. She did not leave him through all the hard and trying times that they had to live through. She truly loved her husband because she was always there. While trying to make Victorine feel bad, she instead lifts herself up and becomes stronger. Suzanne can also be seen as forgiving because in the she went to Victorine’s house, an act that could not have been easy considering that Suzanne believed that her husband was intimate with this woman, and because she meant to pay Victorine some of the money that her husband had promised. (However she never had to since the painting did not sell at the auction.) I would not call Suzanne cruel for telling Victorine all the horrid details of her husband’s illness because she was stating that facts and in the end it did more good for Suzanne then bad.
Suzanne’s character grows in this short story. She starts out as an upset, grieving, unloved woman but at the end of the story she grows into a strong, loved, forgiving woman who looks at all the good her life held instead of the bad.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Annotated Bibliograph on David Hockney's My Parents
Annotated Bibliography
MLA
Jury, Louise. "Face Values: Now Hockney Makes an Exhibition of Himself and Family." The Independent 2 Dec. 2005.
Mainly this article was about David Hockney and an exhibit he was setting up in London. The exhibit was celebrating the 150th anniversary of the National Portrait Gallery’s first collector’s piece. David Hockney commemorates his friends and family by painting their portraits. He especially did this in his painting of My Parents. Looking at the picture one can see his love and respect for his parents by painting them probably in a way that he remembers them. Nearly all of his paintings are loved and it is hard not to when he uses such vibrant colors and such delicate strokes. His paintings are linked to him; they are part of his life and represent that life in full because he paints those whom he loves.
Walsh, Peter. "The Art of Absorption." Boston's NPR 21 Mar. 2006. 28 Jan. 2009.
This article talked about David Hockney’s art at the MFA’s and how he absorbs his family and friends completely into his paintings. It also went into detail about the methods in which he uses to paint. Hockney uses his friends, family, lovers, heroes, celebrities, patrons and near strangers. However his paintings are not about his subjects, they are about him. It is almost like in Hockney’s paintings that the people have no individual existence. I think that it is interesting how his paintings have nothing to do with other people and everything to do with himself. He is the creator and he can do what he wants. In the 1980’s David Hockney started to change his type of painting to icy and precise. In his painting My Parents, he shows exactly what his parents look like, and have them clothed in outfits that are typical of them. The background to is empty just like the expressions on his parents faces.
Jones, Jonathon. "My Parents, David Hockney." The Guardian. 19 Jan. 2002. 29 Jan. 2009.
This article was about David Hockney’s subjects (his parents), the distinguishing features and also Hockney’s inspiration and influence for his painting My Parents. Hockney’s parents were strong-minded. His mother was very religious and a vegetarian while his father was an anti-war campaigner and he fiercely opposed smoking. Hockney’s father died just one year after this painting was finished. The way that the couple is sitting represents the different type of relationships that his parents established with him. His mother looks at him directly but his father looks down. I believe that Hockney and his mother had a strong loving relationship while Hockney’s father was always to busy to spend time with his son. In the background of his painting, Hockney imitated Chardin’s simple world. I believe that maybe this was also a sign of the simple life he lived as a kid. Also the positioning of his parents resembles their influence in his paintings and his career.
MLA
Jury, Louise. "Face Values: Now Hockney Makes an Exhibition of Himself and Family." The Independent 2 Dec. 2005.
Mainly this article was about David Hockney and an exhibit he was setting up in London. The exhibit was celebrating the 150th anniversary of the National Portrait Gallery’s first collector’s piece. David Hockney commemorates his friends and family by painting their portraits. He especially did this in his painting of My Parents. Looking at the picture one can see his love and respect for his parents by painting them probably in a way that he remembers them. Nearly all of his paintings are loved and it is hard not to when he uses such vibrant colors and such delicate strokes. His paintings are linked to him; they are part of his life and represent that life in full because he paints those whom he loves.
Walsh, Peter. "The Art of Absorption." Boston's NPR 21 Mar. 2006. 28 Jan. 2009
This article talked about David Hockney’s art at the MFA’s and how he absorbs his family and friends completely into his paintings. It also went into detail about the methods in which he uses to paint. Hockney uses his friends, family, lovers, heroes, celebrities, patrons and near strangers. However his paintings are not about his subjects, they are about him. It is almost like in Hockney’s paintings that the people have no individual existence. I think that it is interesting how his paintings have nothing to do with other people and everything to do with himself. He is the creator and he can do what he wants. In the 1980’s David Hockney started to change his type of painting to icy and precise. In his painting My Parents, he shows exactly what his parents look like, and have them clothed in outfits that are typical of them. The background to is empty just like the expressions on his parents faces.
Jones, Jonathon. "My Parents, David Hockney." The Guardian. 19 Jan. 2002. 29 Jan. 2009.
This article was about David Hockney’s subjects (his parents), the distinguishing features and also Hockney’s inspiration and influence for his painting My Parents. Hockney’s parents were strong-minded. His mother was very religious and a vegetarian while his father was an anti-war campaigner and he fiercely opposed smoking. Hockney’s father died just one year after this painting was finished. The way that the couple is sitting represents the different type of relationships that his parents established with him. His mother looks at him directly but his father looks down. I believe that Hockney and his mother had a strong loving relationship while Hockney’s father was always to busy to spend time with his son. In the background of his painting, Hockney imitated Chardin’s simple world. I believe that maybe this was also a sign of the simple life he lived as a kid. Also the positioning of his parents resembles their influence in his paintings and his career.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Children of the Screen
Hannah Baylon makes some interesting comments in her essay Children of the Screen. In one sentence I believe that her main point is that the media, TV in particular, is ruining our souls and our lives. She says that here in America, people work to much and in order to unwind from their busy and stressful day we gather in from of our televisions. In part I believe that is true. I also agree that this act becomes routine and it is a hard routine to break. But I disagree with Hannah Baylon when she says that watching television is not relaxing. I think it is. I think that being able to rest and sit down after being up and busy all day is one of the best ways to de-stress. Watching television should not be the only other activity people do after they get home from work though. Working out and socializing with friend are also imperative to life. Relationships are always more important.
I will admit I am confused on Baylon’s idea of losing our true nature. What does that mean? True nature? She cannot depict everyone’s true nature. She cannot stereotype the entire population. Granted, her theory may be correct in some aspects but I do not like to be told who or what I am. Like all the species around us and before us, we adapt to our environment. We are adapting to a world were media and television are part of everyday life. Just because we adapt does not mean we are becoming robots and losing our true nature; it simply means that we are changing, for the better or for worst we cannot tell.
My view on the media is that it will change you if you let it. Take the typical skinny model type girl. Some, not all girls feel that this is how they should look. This is what they have to be like in order to be happy, successful, complete, or whatever other excuse they can come up with. In contrast some girls will see these Barbie figured girls and be repulsed, saying that they would never want to look like that. I believe that you let the media effect you whatever way you want it to. The media is not just something that “tells” us how we should look, act, or what we should wear but it is also our source of information and news. The news is not a bad form of the media whether it is the newspaper or television or the radio. The news is just facts. It supplies information that we need about our cities, about the weather, about the world, etc. It is important for us to stay informed and up-to-date.
Honestly, I wholeheartedly believe that media is a benefit. Some people may say that the killing in video games and movies, for example, is what causes young men and women to fight and maybe even kill. I disagree. I think that family life and the role of parents influence these types of actions too. The media can be relaxing, fun, entertaining, and informative. I will admit that their can be downsides but I do not let the media rule my life but instead I do other activities and I try new things along with watching television.
I will admit I am confused on Baylon’s idea of losing our true nature. What does that mean? True nature? She cannot depict everyone’s true nature. She cannot stereotype the entire population. Granted, her theory may be correct in some aspects but I do not like to be told who or what I am. Like all the species around us and before us, we adapt to our environment. We are adapting to a world were media and television are part of everyday life. Just because we adapt does not mean we are becoming robots and losing our true nature; it simply means that we are changing, for the better or for worst we cannot tell.
My view on the media is that it will change you if you let it. Take the typical skinny model type girl. Some, not all girls feel that this is how they should look. This is what they have to be like in order to be happy, successful, complete, or whatever other excuse they can come up with. In contrast some girls will see these Barbie figured girls and be repulsed, saying that they would never want to look like that. I believe that you let the media effect you whatever way you want it to. The media is not just something that “tells” us how we should look, act, or what we should wear but it is also our source of information and news. The news is not a bad form of the media whether it is the newspaper or television or the radio. The news is just facts. It supplies information that we need about our cities, about the weather, about the world, etc. It is important for us to stay informed and up-to-date.
Honestly, I wholeheartedly believe that media is a benefit. Some people may say that the killing in video games and movies, for example, is what causes young men and women to fight and maybe even kill. I disagree. I think that family life and the role of parents influence these types of actions too. The media can be relaxing, fun, entertaining, and informative. I will admit that their can be downsides but I do not let the media rule my life but instead I do other activities and I try new things along with watching television.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
The Picture of Dorian Gray
After watching The Picture of Dorian Gray I believe that the message of the movie is simple: do not make youth and beauty the main purpose of your life. That is what Dorian Gray did after his talk with Lord Henry Wotton. After having his portrait painted by Basil Hallward, Dorian falls in love with talented and beautiful Sybil Vane. After he breaks her heart and she commits suicide, Dorian Gray turns corrupt. He begins to act immorally and instead of his actions and age reflecting on his body they instead show up on the portrait. Over the years, the portrait gets uglier and uglier as the sins Dorian commits piles up while Dorian himself remains youthful and handsome. His reputation becomes ruined and in a fit of rage he takes his friend, Basil’s, life. Since he cannot repent of his sins Dorian tries to destroy the painting by stabbing at it with a knife. In a change of events, the painting remains unharmed and Dorian lies dead on the floor the knife wedged in his heart. Dorian Gray was so determined to stay young and handsome that he could not see or feel the effects of all the sins he had committed.
My favorite scene from this movie was towards the middle when Dorian Gray first realized that the picture was changing and that his wish for that picture to take on the effects of his life had come true. I found it interesting that Dorian had even noticed the change. I did not think it was that obvious of a change and if the narrator had never mentioned anything I probably would not have noticed that the portraits expression changed. (I did watch the beginning of the movie again, paying particular attention to the expression in the picture. The second time I did notice a small difference). There was not much dialogue until Lord Henry visited Dorian and Dorian then pointed out the change to him, hoping that someone else would confirm his observation. At first I thought that the change was something that only Dorian would notice; he probably looked at the painting every day, so any change would probably stick out like a sore thumb to him. When his actions became more drastic the world could see the changes. I liked how it became more and more apparent that Dorian Gray was going the wrong direction. This scene I believe is the climax of the movie because it is the turning point for Dorian Gray. He realizes that his actions affect the painting and not his physical body. His soul may be tainted but his handsome youthful body is not. This part of the movie could have also been the turning point. Dorian could have realized how malicious Lord Henry’s suggestions were and instead of turning down the path of sin, he could have repented and led a healthier life. Overall, this scene shows how Dorian treasured his youth and his beauty more then his innocence and purity.
My favorite scene from this movie was towards the middle when Dorian Gray first realized that the picture was changing and that his wish for that picture to take on the effects of his life had come true. I found it interesting that Dorian had even noticed the change. I did not think it was that obvious of a change and if the narrator had never mentioned anything I probably would not have noticed that the portraits expression changed. (I did watch the beginning of the movie again, paying particular attention to the expression in the picture. The second time I did notice a small difference). There was not much dialogue until Lord Henry visited Dorian and Dorian then pointed out the change to him, hoping that someone else would confirm his observation. At first I thought that the change was something that only Dorian would notice; he probably looked at the painting every day, so any change would probably stick out like a sore thumb to him. When his actions became more drastic the world could see the changes. I liked how it became more and more apparent that Dorian Gray was going the wrong direction. This scene I believe is the climax of the movie because it is the turning point for Dorian Gray. He realizes that his actions affect the painting and not his physical body. His soul may be tainted but his handsome youthful body is not. This part of the movie could have also been the turning point. Dorian could have realized how malicious Lord Henry’s suggestions were and instead of turning down the path of sin, he could have repented and led a healthier life. Overall, this scene shows how Dorian treasured his youth and his beauty more then his innocence and purity.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Who Is That Person?
I chose this picture because I loved the old lady. To me she is the perfect image of what old ladies or grandmas look like. Her hands are folded lightly in her lap showing how proper and delicate she really is. Her clothing is very simple and not over done. She dresses her age and I think that shows that she accepts who she is and how old she is. There are some older women around today that dress younger, trying to make themselves look and feel younger. I really like how this lady does not play with age and is very content with who she is. Her expression is hard to read; it is not a smile or a frown. Her expression I would say is content and kind. She seems satisfied with her home, her husband and her life. (However she does not look at her husband which could suggest a loveless marriage). If this lady was alive today she would have been raised in a time where it was the mother/ wife’s job to stay at home, watch the children and keep house. I believe that this woman did all that and thus puts forth an air of fulfillment. Since I believe this lady stayed at home I also believe that she is responsible for the cleanliness and tidiness of that home. The background of the picture is very simple but well taken care of. The old lady seems to have much respect for her home and herself.
The old man in the picture is somewhat opposite of his wife. He sits hunched over his book or magazine no where near as proper and formal as the old lady. The fact that he is hunched over could allude to the fact that he is old and he is no longer capable of sitting perfectly upright, or it could hint that he is just intent on reading. I believe it is the second one. In that case it seems rude to me that he sits and reads his paper while his wife sits there. He seems to be ignoring the fact that she is in the room. The old man is dressed in a sophisticated suit which to me suggests that maybe the man works at a bank, is a lawyer or something along those lines. However since the old lady is wearing a dress it could mean that maybe the couple just returned home from church or some sort of social event or party. The old man’s face is downward so you do not get a clear picture of it. The man could be busy working and reading all the time so his face is usually down in concentration, but it could also mean something about the couple’s relationship.
Since the couple is not looking at each other I get the feeling that maybe they do not see much of each other or that their marriage is not all roses and springtime. Maybe they fight. Or maybe there was never real love in their relationship. However the woman sits in the room patiently as her husband reads. The room is clean and well taken care of. Both of these suggest that the woman loves and respects her husband and wants to make sure his home is comfortable. Maybe the woman is trying to gain the man’s love. Maybe the couple is just so proper that they cannot show their love of one another through actions such as holding hands, hugging or kissing. Or maybe there is nothing wrong with the couple but this is just the way they spend an afternoon. One can never be too sure.
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