David Hockney Contrejour in the French Style (M.C.A.T. 264) For Sale

Contrejour in the French style encapsulates David Hockney’s ability to masterfully capture light, perspective and atmosphere. Hockney depicts an extremely symmetrical scene, echoing that of the interior painters that came before him within the History of Art. The scene looks out towards the window, partially covered by a yellow blind, displaying a perfectly manicured Parisian garden. Hockney shows off his ability to capture light, as the parquet floorboards realistically reflect two white blocks of light that come flooding through the window, providing the screenprint with its titular ‘contre-jour’. The walls are painted in a flurry of small, dotted brushstrokes, echoing the art historical movements of pointillism and impressionism. Hockney’s ability to combine such an array of colours within the etching showcase his technical ability, showing how much his style has changed since his earliest etchings, such as A Rakes Progress.

The original inspiration of the print came from one of the Pavillon de Flore rooms within the Louvre in Paris. Hockney spoke of the strike of inspiration from the room, saying “The first time I went, I saw this window with the blind pulled down and the formal garden beyond. And I thought, oh it’s marvellous! marvellous! This is a picture in itself … So I took some photographs of it, made a drawing, and started painting.” This print is a fusion of the old and the new: the ornate railings, parquet floors, and traditional French garden transforms the viewer into the past, to the time when the palace was constructed. Yet at the same time, Hockney firmly places the audience in the present, due to his contemporary Pop Art technique and handling of colour and light.

In 1973, Hockney moved to live and work in Paris, staying there until 1975. Hockney described the influence his environment had on him after his move, saying “it is easier for me to get the necessary detachment in Paris because I don't understand much of the French character or the language. But on the other hand, I know how to use my eyes. Paris has been painted by so many people. By very talented artists, much greater than I am…” Designed in the wake of Hockney's ex-lover Peter Schlesinger moving out, many prints Hockney created within this period are permeated with a sense of isolation, absence, and loneliness.

Hockney was heavily inspired by the French architecture, and their ‘way of life’, and used it as inspiration in his other prints, including Rue de Seine and French Shop. Hockney also produced Two Vases in the Louvre in the same year, which is compositionally similar in its symmetry and subject matter.