David Hockney Lithograph of Water Made of Lines and a Green Wash (M.C.A.T 204 )For Sale

This charming print depicts Hockney’s most synonymous subject matter, the swimming pool in the sun-drenched light of Los Angeles. The print is rich in texture and colour, as Hockney adds a swarm of undulating blue lines, mismatched in their width and shade, to capture the way light dances atop a body of water. Throughout his oeuvre, Hockney usually plays with perspective, providing multiple viewpoints across the single composition of the swimming pool to create a slightly disorientating feeling as the viewer is immersed within his art. However, this series conveys a much flatter and more simplistic composition, providing a forward-looking view of a swimming pool. However, despite the medium of lithography, Hockney adds depth to the scene, adding a simple wash of blue and green throughout sections of the print. The green is used as a shadow, providing a sense of light and dark throughout the scene, as Hockney masterfully captures the way light refracts through water.

Hockney moved to LA to pursue his art after his first exhibition in London. The successful, and substantial, exhibition was held at the Kasmin Gallery in New Bond Street, where he sold his piece A Rake’s Progress (1963). This time period marks an important moment in Hockney’s artistic practices, as during the 1970s and 1980s Hockney was working alongside LA printers Gemini G.E.L, where he first began experimenting with lithographs, and mastered the print as a medium. This experimentation resulted in the creation of this series, marking a departure from his previous artistic oeuvre and style. Furthermore, this series has highlighted the previously disregarded medium of lithography as a way of expressing detailed and emotionally charged artworks.  It is no surprise that this series has had a significant impact on modern at, as Hockney has set a new approach to artistic depictions of natural elements, which are enduring in their ability to capture the attention of the viewer.