Hockney on Van Gogh

[Bartc]

When I used to teach Abnormal Psychology I gave a lesson on how not to misinterpret art and artists using Van Gogh's paintings and letters to illustrate how, while troubled, you can't state that his art depicts that.

Here's one of my favorite artists still painting and experimenting today, David Hockney, on his favorite artist, Van Gogh. This is about the joy in VG's paintings, despite the despair and loneliness of his life.

BTW, Hockney is often under-appreciated himself, while his intellectual and artistic range is enormous, studied and definitely joyful.

 

[Donna T]

Excellent! This is so inspirational. Thanks Bart.

 

[Bartc]

David Hockney is the narrator in a number of different YT vids from his documentaries on Vermeer and his ilk to his own paintings and inspirations. He's a very sharp and broad thinker with a solid background. Anytime you find one featuring him, you will at least be intrigued and informed, if not totally delighted.

 

[Enyaw]

Thank you.

 

[Hermes2020]

Thanks for that link. He is such a wonderfully sage person.

 

[laf.art]

Thanks Bartc, just what I needed this morning.As you say he is a delight to watch, well informed and his joy very evident

 

[laika]

Great find, Bart! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Bongo]

Huge Hockney fan. I own a copy of his "Secret Knowledge" and have read it multiple times.

 

[Marc]

Sadly showing his age now, but at least he has a much much better hearing aid now. Some years back he had that TALKING IN CAPS VOICE BECAUSE HE WAS TOO DEAF TO TELL HOW HE WAS TALKING EVEN WITH A HEARING AID. If one didn't pay attention to his highly intelligent words, you could easily think he was in the beginning of cognitive decline.

Quite humble too. Even after being surrounded for years with you know what kissers, he still admits that Van Goth is his master.

 

[Terri]

Wonderful! Thank you for posting this link.

 

[Artyczar]

Loved this! Thank you for posting it. Yes, there is a lot of joy there.

 

[Bongo]

There is a documentary - "Waiting for Hockney"that is about --

""A young working class Baltimore man spends 10 years on a single portrait, believing it is his means to fame and fortune. But he also believes that only one man can lead him there---the famous artist David Hockney. What happens when you finally meet the god of your own making?""

I've seen it, so you don't have to. The guy is very cringe-worthy and delusional = makes this hyper-realistic drawing of Marilyn Monroe
and for some reason believes that if only David Hockney can see it, that Hockney will be so blown away that that will somehow lead him to become rich and famous.

The best scene is when he finally gets to do his unveiling for David Hockney. Hockney is completely nonplussed, tries to be gracious but out of view of the "artist" pulls no punches about what a complete waste, misguided failure the whole venture is - making a photo-realistic copy of a Marilyn Monroe photograph - such a tired, vacuous trope.

 

[Bongo]

About the Bigger Splash

He used a photograph taken by someone else.
He projected the image and traced it.
He used acrylic paint.

Wow - that would almost be considered heretical nowadays on some forums.

Oh. and it later sold for $90million dollars.

 

[Marc]

A Bigger Splash 1974 the film is a very odd affair. It was shot, on and off, over a three year period. David Hockney is framed as sort of a psychopathic killer for hire type in a French New Wave inspired film. (Except no one dies and there's no crime.)
Did he know about this? If he didn't, did he wonder at any point why he's asked to destroy paintings he'd decided to redo by stabbing them with a knife, hold a lit cigarette lighter dangerously close to one of his paintings in the gloom, or make it look as though he was abandoning his little BMW under an overpass with the keys left in it?
All the way through there's a type of strained music, raising the tension, as though things are going to explode, but it never really does.

 

[Marc]

The best scene is when he finally gets to do his unveiling for David Hockney. Hockney is completely nonplussed, tries to be gracious but out of view of the "artist" pulls no punches about what a complete waste, misguided failure the whole venture is - making a photo-realistic copy of a Marilyn Monroe photograph - such a tired, vacuous trope.

Hockey was heading towards photorealism at one point, but decided it was a dead end and that his paintings were going stale and joyless. Or at least the production of them was, and supposedly claimed that he started getting painter's block.

 

[Artyczar]

Sounds like a great flick!