David Hockney Flowers Made of Paper and Black Ink (M.C.A.T. 114) For Sale

This lithograph is Hockney’s monochrome version of his previous still life, Coloured Flowers Made of Paper and Ink. This print acts a testament to the artist’s proficient understanding of the History of Art, as Hockney offers the viewer a refreshed and updated version of the traditional flower still life. Unlike the smooth brushstrokes of a 17^th century Dutch Master’s still life, Hockney utilises a more graphic style for this print. The flowers rather disharmoniously hang away from each other, the flower heads seem heavy on the stems as they twist towards the table. Rather than presenting a romanticised and idealised view of a bouquet of flowers, Hockney has rather presented their delicate and ephemeral nature.

This print similarly depicts a row of colouring pencils pointing towards the flower centrepiece, however with the lack of colour between each pencil, they seem like pointy, dangerous objects which have lost all childhood charm. This rather gothic feel to the print is exemplified further through the contrast in the harsh cross-hatched lines in the background, with the empty spaces present throughout the rest of the print.

Throughout his body of work, Hockney frequently returns to the theme of flowers. His obsession with painting still lifes with flowers highlights his awareness of and familiarity with art history. The ability to depict flowers was always considered the height of artistic skill and Hockney's screenprint, which reimagines classic motifs using his Pop Art imagination, is a contemporary and innovative addition to this body of work, whilst serving as an art historical homage to the past.