After watching a film about the painter David Hockney, which can be viewed on the BBC iplayer site here I was thinking about how different generations of painters approach painting today.
Hockney's approach was to get out in the landscape and paint direct from the subject- an approach which might seem out of fashion. I don't think Hockney is a truly great painter, but he is a fantastic draughtsman. Watching him make direct marks on the canvas with paint was a great experience. As was his sheer enthusiasm for the medium and act of painting in creating memorable images. He made a mock poster for the painting 'Bigger trees near Warter' , which was exhibited at the Royal Academy, insisting it was a sensation of the post-photographic age. A sly mocking of the YBA 'Sensation' exhibition at the Royal Academy.
Painting is wide, and infinetly varied. Everything is open. Perhaps the thing left for painters is to find some meaning...
Hockney seemed to achieve that.
