Bio - David Hockney
About David Hockney
(republished             from brain-juice.com)
David Hockney has often been regarded             as a playboy of the art world. He has had lascivious relationships,             and he has run among strange and crazy artistic circles. Yet he has             always retained a sense of stability in his life through his constant             and tireless devotion to his work. Hockney is an artist that has always             enjoyed success and praise, facing little to no hardship in his career.             What is interesting about his life is not the problems he has encountered,             but the strides he has taken to bypass much human suffering and malaise.
David Hockney was born on July 9, 1937, in Bradford, England, to Laura             and Kenneth Hockney. The Hockneys were, as David said, a "'radical             working-class family.'" Laura and Kenneth were solid parents who only             wanted their children to have the best education possible. Laura raised             her children as strict Methodists and resolutely shunned smoking and             drinking in the home. Kenneth was a passionate radical and a conscientious             objector during World War I. David Hockney was always considered an             eccentric in Bradford. He never really cared what people thought of             him and always did as he pleased. He spent afternoons at Sunday School             drawing cartoons of Jesus, much to his teachers' dismay. As a young             child, Hockney also developed an obsession with opera when he first             saw the Carl Rosa opera company's production of La Bohï¿½me.
In 1948, David Hockney won a scholarship to the Bradford Grammar School,             one of the best schools in the country. Here he enjoyed his art classes             most and thus decided that he wanted to become an artist. Furthermore,             he disliked the other subjects he was required to study. In 1950,             he asked to be transferred to the Regional College of Art in Bradford             so that he could more seriously pursue his interest. However, the             headmaster recommended that he first finish his general education             before transferring anywhere. Hockney responded with misfit behavior             towards his teachers and poor grades, even though he had found much             success in school before this. He spent his class time doodling in             notebooks. Nonetheless, his artistic leanings also won him prizes             and recognition, and he drew comics for the school newspaper. Overall,             he was a likeable and intelligent student with many friends.
In 1953, Hockney finally enrolled in the College of Art and began             painting with oils, his medium of choice for most of his life. Hockney             learned that painting was a process of seeing and thinking, rather             than one of imitation. His artwork was abstract and quite personal             and allowed him to deal with human sexuality and love in a public,             yet still inhibited manner. He developed a penchant for painting mirrors             and loved the artwork of painters such as Francis Bacon and other             contemporaries. Socially, he made a lot of friends, but never really             expressed any sexual interests. His group of acquaintances would often             travel into London to catch various art shows. In the summer of 1957,             Hockney took the National Diploma in Design Examination. He graduated             with honors and then enrolled in the Painting School of the Royal             College in London two years later, where and when he would gain national             attention as an artist.
Hockney immediately felt at home at the Royal College. There were             no steadfast rules or regulations. Not only did he find much success             and pride in his work, but he also thrived in the many friendships             he made there. He and his friends spent much of their time in the             studio, but they explored the pubs and coffee bars around town as             much as possible. Hockney was a serious student, however, and dedicated             much effort to painting. During his first term, he experimented with             more abstract styles, but he felt unsatisfied with that work, and             he still sought his own style. His professors were good and receptive             to his artwork, but Hockney seemed to learn the most from his fellow             students who shared similar artistic interests and insights. Furthermore,             he was quite a self-motivated sort of person and began to feel a need             for meaningful subject matter, and so Hockney began painting works             about vegetarianism and poetry he liked reading. After a little while,             Hockney even began painting about his sexual orientation, writing             words such as "queer" and 'unorthodox lover" in some of his paintings.             While Hockney had been aware of his attraction to males growing up             in Bradford, he had never felt comfortable talking about his sexual             orientation until he came to the Royal College and befriended other             gay men.
In the summer of 1961, Hockney traveled to New York for the first             time. His friend Mark Berger showed him around all the city's galleries             and museums, while his other friend Ferrill Amacker showed him the             hot gay spots. To pay for the trip, Hockney sold several of his paintings.             He was also able to work on other paintings and sketches while he             was there at the Pratt Institute's facilities. It was from his New             York sketchbooks that Hockney came up with the idea for an updated             version of William Hogarth's "Rake's Progress," which he eventually             finished two years later. Hockney was offered five thousand pounds             for the plates and thus was able to live in America for a year at             the end of 1963. In the mean time, he finished his studies at the             Royal College and received considerable attention from critics, professors,             and peers at several student shows. At this time early on in Hockney's             career, his artwork was poetic and tended to tell stories. He even             wrote poetic ramblings on many of his paintings as well. For a short             time, Hockney was in danger of not receiving his diploma because he             had failed his Art History courses. Nonetheless, he was awarded the             gold medal for outstanding distinction at the convocation and ended             his college career on a tremendously good note.
In New York, Hockney befriended Andy Warhol, at whose studio young             artists often met and socialized. He also met Dennis Hopper that same             night. However, Hockney's main purpose in returning to the States             was not to meet peers, but rather to travel to California. Hockney             had become fascinated with the images of young, built, and tan men             in the publication Physique Pictorial, which he had collected             while in London, and he was hungry to experience the sleazy underground             world of Los Angeles. He immediately loved the city and made Santa             Monica his home. Spending much of his day at Santa Monica pier, Hockney             would just people-watch and admire the beautiful boys that seemed             to be at the beach every day of the year. This new environment greatly             inspired him. In his California paintings, such as Man in Shower             in Beverly Hills (1964), Hockney featured mainly wet, sculpted             men and typically colorful southern California architecture. Overall,             he was enamoured of the more laid-back, sunny lifestyle that the city             of Los Angeles provided. It was around this time that Hockney developed             the naturalistic, realistic style he is most known for today.
In the summer of 1964, Hockney was invited to teach at the University             of Iowa. He was generally bored with this new milieu but was able             to complete four paintings in six weeks there. An old friend from             London Ossie Clark came to America for the first time and visited             Hockney in Iowa. The two traveled across the country a bit, visiting             gay bars. At the same time, Hockney hosted his first American exhibition             in New York. He received rave reviews and sold every painting.
In December of 1964, Hockney returned to London to give a talk on             homosexual imagery in America. A year later, he returned to America             to teach at the University of Colorado in Boulder. There he lived             in an apartment without windows and painted the Rocky Mountains from             his memory. After his term there, Hockney went to California with             some old friends. One night in Hollywood, Hockney met the blond beach             bum of his dreams, "a marvelous work of art, called Bob," and took             him home. The two drove to New York, and Hockney flew Bob out to London,             but soon realized that it was a mistake and sent the boy home.
Two years later, Hockney experienced his first true romance with a             nineteen-year-old student named Peter Schlesinger. Schlesinger was             just about everything Hockney ever wanted in a man. He was attractive,             smart, young, innocent, and in great need of Hockney's guidance. Schlesinger             became a favorite subject of Hockney's, and the many drawings of him             show the informal intimacy of the two. A year later, Schlesinger transferred             to Los Angeles from Santa Cruz and moved into an apartment with Hockney.             During the day, Hockney would paint, but at night the two would often             lie in bed drinking wine and reading. Hockney was very happy. In June             of 1967, Hockney took his new beau to Europe, and the two toured the             continent. At this time, Hockney's interest in photography grew. He             would take endless shots of Schlesinger, mostly for fun, but also             for study.
For many years after that, Hockney remained content painting and showcasing             his work at various exhibits. His work had gained much esteem and             attention all over the world. Critics instantly recognized the power             of his art. Most of his paintings from the late sixties and early             seventies, particularly Mr. and Mrs. Clark and Percy (1970-1971),             adhered to the concept of naturalism -- that is, representing things             as they were actually seen. His interest in photography greatly advanced             his skill in this area, but Hockney felt as though he depended on             it too much from time to time. He liked using the photographs more             for the study of light, rather than to aid his memory. For the most             part, Hockney was concerned with finding a balance between pure skill             and pure art in his idea of naturalism. He did want his art to seem             overtly academic, but moreover, he had not satisfied his abstract             tendencies.
In 1971, Hockney experienced some tension in his relationship with             Schlesinger. The age difference had become a problem, and Schlesinger             wanted some independence and room to grow. Hockney's eye also began             to wander, and his social life became more active once again. He continued             to entertain large groups of people in his studio and basked in the             glory of his fame. Hockney decided to travel to America for a break,             and when he returned, he found out that Schlesinger had moved to Paris             and had been having an affair. Although he was hurt, Hockney was very             relieved. A while later, the two reunited in Barcelona, but once again             had many difficulties. Schlesinger felt that Hockney placed his work             above everything else and felt as though he himself were only an erotic             object to be shown off to others. He decided             never to move back in with Hockney again. Hockney was devastated and             started taking Valium to combat the depression and loneliness he suffered.
In February of 1974, Jack Hazan finished a biographical film on Hockney's             life. At first, Hockney was shocked and devastated by the film, which             had brought many issues that hit too close to home for him. In particular,             he was disturbed by the film's portrayal of his romantic relationship             with Schlesinger. However, after the film had received some attention             and praise, Hockney realized that he had to swallow his pride and             sign for its release in order to give Hazan the respect and admiration             he deserved. The film was banned in many countries for its explicit             portrayal of homosexuality, but won many awards among the critics.
In the eighties, Hockney turned to photo collage. Using a Polaroid             camera, Hockney would assemble collages of photos that he would take             as quickly as possible. Hockney was fascinated with the idea of seeing             things through a window frame. This medium allowed him to see things             in a whole new fashion. He took a drive in the southwest United States             taking thousands of photos and fitting them altogether into various             collages, such as You make the picture, Zion Canyon, Utah.             His artwork also began to take on a psychological dimension. In the             autumn of 1983, Hockney began a series of self-portraits, allowing             the public to enter his personal inner life. It is obvious in these             works that Hockney was quite vulnerable and unsure of himself, even             though he had achieved major success in his life as an artist.
In the nineties, Hockney continued to experiment with rising technologies.             He used a color laser copier in some of his works and reproduced some             of his paintings. Hockney was impressed with the vibrancy of color             that could be achieved using such devices. He also began sending drawings             to friends via fax machines and was thrilled with this new way of             communication. Much of the appeal lay in the fact that these newly             produced images had no financial value at all. Thus sharing art became             a true act of love and appreciation.
Hockney's life and all his loves are always on display to the public.             By embracing all sorts of technology and media, Hockney has made his             art accessible to people everywhere. He has used art to express the             love he has felt for others, and consequently, his works show personal             stake and personal meaning. Ironically, his artwork caused much personal             suffering and strife in the making and breaking of his romances, while             at the same time, garnering him much respect and admiration. Hockney             has truly made art a form of real human interaction and communication.
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