David Hockney Caribbean Tea Time M.C.A.T 288) For Sale

Caribbean Tea Time, 1987, is a signed and dated lithograph print by David Hockney from his tour de force series, Moving Focus. Whilst part of a series that saw Hockney work with Californian based master printer, Kenneth Tyler, to dramatically evolve his artistic language, Caribbean Tea Time also looks back to many of Hockney’s earlier works and his favourite historical art movements.

In Caribbean Tea Time, Hockney depicts a folding screen, similar to those used behind the scenes in theatre productions, which relates to his passion for stage design – in 1975 Hockney worked as a set designer on Stravinsky’s acclaimed The Rake’s Progress. (See his 1991 series, Eine, Deux, Tres).

In Caribbean Tea Time, Hockney utilises the folding screen layout to work on a narrative featuring multiple perspectives. The viewer can spot recognisable motifs, such as the wicker chair (See Picture of Two Chairs, Walking Past Two Chairs) in what looks like a courtyard space (also depicted in the Hotel Acatlan sequence). The depiction of the courtyard through a melange of shapes and silhouettes blurs traditional boundaries between interior and exterior representation: Hockney works with innovative printing techniques combining lithograph and screen print, acrylic paint and polystyrene and cut and pasted printed paper to achieve this multi layered effect. The bold vibrant hues – verdant greens, cherry reds, bright purple and blues – are dramatic and illustrative of Hockney’s compelling use of colour.

Hockney uses the folding screen to break down the traditional linear perspective – to challenge notions of artist and representation. In paying homage to his own earlier photo collage styles and also the famed cubist works of Picasso, Hockney creates a discourse between artists past and present.