A rather arty expedition

Yesterday I had a rather splendid afternoon at work. 


I say at work... Hannah took me to see the David Hockney exhibition "A Bigger Picture" (named in reference to one of his most famous pieces, "A Bigger Splash". But I'm sure you realised that) at the Royal Academy of Arts in London.


I am a bit of a pop art fan, although I do sway more towards Lichtenstein than Warhol. So when I heard that David Hockney was doing an exhibition specifically for the RA I was thrilled and determined to go. Part of the draw was his latest works - made with his iPad. For such a well established (old..) artist, I admire his courage at exploring a completely new medium for his work. I admit, I was rather sceptical at how good they would look....and was it a bit of a cop-out? Hockney openly says that he enjoys the speed at which he can create art - and to have an entire room at the RA (indeed the largest) might seem rather lazy to some. But the pieces were FANTASTIC. The whole exhibition focuses on Hockney's fascination with changing seasons within nature, and the huge room which houses the iPad paintings (and the largest painting of the collection) shows the journey through the year. Each painting is dated, and hung in numerical order. The paintings themselves have a very "painterly" quality, but as one looks closer one recognises the slight pixelated lines and familiar marks that we can all recognise from mucking around on Paint or similar computer programs. 


The whole effect is fascinating. Some are highly detailed, as one would expect from a Hockney - others just have a few lines and marks to represent the subject.


I could ramble on forever.....


I would highly recommend this exhibition - his subject matter is beautiful, his processes fascinating (not only does the exhibition show his finished pieces, there are also dozens of charcoal sketches and working drawings to accompany the finished articles) and overall the exhibition has a very tranquil feel to it. 


Word of advice - book your ticket in advance (even if you are an RA friend..) The queues were VAST.