David Hockney Lithograph of Water Made of Thick and Thin Lines and Two Light Blue Washes (M.C.A.T 207) For Sale

This lithograph exudes a nostalgia for sun-drenched summer days as David Hockney allows us an insight into his seemingly paradisical lifestyle in 1960s and 1970s Los Angeles through his Water Lithograph series, created in 1978. Each print depicts a lithograph of Hockney’s synonymous swimming pool each one capturing the gentle play of light on water. Aiming to escape from the post-war dreariness of the United Kingdom, Hockney relocated to Los Angeles in 1964, where he not only found a new muse in the swimming pool, but a newfound sexual liberation in the thriving gay community in California. This move marked a key turning point in the young artist’s career, as Hockney himself said ‘In America I always feel freer. In California, anyway, I start using brighter colours; I paint broader […] which seems to be better for me’.

This portfolio is one of Hockney’s most celebrated, as each print is a vivid portrayal of swimming pools, embodying both leisure and tranquillity. The print depicts a peaceful scene of a Californian swimming pool, where one can imagine Hockney spending many a hot summers day lounging next to. Hockney conveys an incredible clarity and depth to this print through a wash of green and blue shades, darkening in patches across the print to suggest shadows across the water. Hockney showcases his incredible technical skill through the medium of the lithograph, with each being a marvel of artistic expression and talent. Hockney was able to balance the intricate details of the swimming pool with the bold, expressive forms of the wiggling lines that dance across the print, echoing the play of light on water. The lithograph technique allows Hockney to utilise texture and light gradients which bring his pool scenes to life, as he balances a dichotomy between realism and abstraction.