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For the dozen oils in this lovely exhibition, "The
East Yorkshire Landscape," David Hockney used his command of
light and color to render the English countryside of his youth.
He eschewed photographic sources and returned to the custom of working
en plein air to create paintings that reflect a frankly
emotional response to the landscape.
The works (all 2006) continue a tradition in which
nature is used to mirror the artist's state of mind. Woldgate
Woods, 26, 27 & 30 July 2006 is a riot of green stippling
that deftly records not only the density of the tree canopy but
also a depth of feeling—the thrill of standing in the dappled
shade of the trees.
Hockney tempers this romantic view with a heightened
focus on composition. Looking East is organized to suggest
a grid: the tree's bare branches in the foreground intersect the
horizon in near-perfect verticals. Each of the works in the "Woldgate
Woods" series is literally a grid, composed of six canvas panels.
The slight discontinuities from panel to panel are reminiscent of
Hockney's Polaroid composites from the 1980s. The underlying concept
is the same: vision is complex and ever shifting.
Though not groundbreaking, the show successfully conveyed
Hockney's strong engagement with nature. His simple image of a flowering
bush, Elderflower Blossom, Kilham, 2, 3, & 4 July 2006
offers both a masterful depiction of sunlight and a distillation
of joy.
This review originally appeared
in the May, 2007 issue of ARTnews.
Reprinted with permission.
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