David Hockney
My Pool and Terrace, 1983
Etching and aquatint in colours on wove paper
73.7 x 106 cm. 29 x 41.7 in.
Edition of 250
Signed, numbered and dated on the front
My Pool and Terrace is a signed intaglio print released in an edition of 250, and forms part of the artist’s long-standing fascination with swimming pools. Throughout his career, the...
My Pool and Terrace is a signed intaglio print released in an edition of 250, and forms part of the artist’s long-standing fascination with swimming pools. Throughout his career, the pool became one of Hockney’s most recognisable motifs, symbolising the sun-filled lifestyle he encountered after moving to Los Angeles in 1964. In this work, however, the focus shifts away from the human figure and instead centres on the surrounding environment, presenting a personal view of the artist’s own pool and terrace.
Rendered with both linear precision and painterly freedom, the composition depicts the pool bordered by lush plants, the shutters of a pool house, curved railings, and the suggestion of wooden planks from a covered terrace area. Dominated by vivid reds, blues, and greens, the scene appears simple at first glance yet reveals a complex spatial arrangement, with Hockney employing a slightly skewed perspective that echoes the shifting viewpoints explored in his Moving Focus series.
The pool itself appears empty, its surface defined by energetic blue lines that resemble rippling water. In reality, these marks refer to lines Hockney painted directly onto the bottom of his own swimming pool, turning the real-life subject of many of his works into an artwork in its own right. The luminous palette and sunlit atmosphere recall the bold colour sensibility associated with Henri Matisse and the spirit of southern landscapes.
Rendered with both linear precision and painterly freedom, the composition depicts the pool bordered by lush plants, the shutters of a pool house, curved railings, and the suggestion of wooden planks from a covered terrace area. Dominated by vivid reds, blues, and greens, the scene appears simple at first glance yet reveals a complex spatial arrangement, with Hockney employing a slightly skewed perspective that echoes the shifting viewpoints explored in his Moving Focus series.
The pool itself appears empty, its surface defined by energetic blue lines that resemble rippling water. In reality, these marks refer to lines Hockney painted directly onto the bottom of his own swimming pool, turning the real-life subject of many of his works into an artwork in its own right. The luminous palette and sunlit atmosphere recall the bold colour sensibility associated with Henri Matisse and the spirit of southern landscapes.
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