David Hockney Sun (M.C.A.T 127) For Sale

Hockney’s profound Sun lithograph is part of his acclaimed, The Weather Series, 1973. It is a signed lithograph, one of an edition of 98. Hockney is renowned for his love of California and has created many of his most compelling works whilst living there. It was on a trip to Los Angeles that the sunny climes ignited his idea for prints about the ‘weather drawn, not just the weather itself.’

Sun is an elegant, multidimensional depiction which includes many of Hockney’s signature characteristics: still life, play with light, shadow and perspective, a homage to art history tropes. Infact, Hockney compared his move to LA to ‘Van Gogh going to Arles’ and the influences of the Renaissance tradition in the depiction of this still life scene are visible.

The precisely executed composition portrays an outdoor garden scene, presumably a home in California. There’s a visible blue outdoor shutter as the background wall and in the centre is a small outdoor table on which sits a plant pot. Hockney’s skill at creating depth and emotion within his prints is evident in Sun, since just by looking at the image, we can feel the scorching west coast sun on our faces. The dripping in sunlight is conveyed through a series of diagonal lines depicting the rays of light coming in through the window: whilst we are fully immersed in this direct sunlight looking at the picture, Hockney’s mastery is also apparent in his ability to convey the transcient,  momentary nature of summer sun.

Sun is an elegant yet striking print: Hockney recalls old art traditions such as Impressionism, Renaissance and the woodblock techniques of 18^th century Japanese art culture and redefines them into a modern, timeless artwork.