My Parents

1969

Colour! That’s what initially grabbed me about this painting, but before I get into it – let me tell you about this painting.

On the left, sits his mother and the on the right, his father – reading an art & photography book.

The painting was completed a year prior to his father’s death, which makes the portrait all the more intimate and tender.

What was it that grabbed me?

I’ve already mentioned the colour – but it’s more than just colour.

I love how he strikes a balance between a graphic, illustrative style, and yet he is very sensitive to the light, the folds on the material and the way they sit in the space.

If you look at the interplay of light, shadow and texture in the the rug you can’t call the painting naïve.

I think it’s beautiful. You can see the affection he has for his parents and their quiet retort.

How does this approach inform my style?

Colour obviously, but more importantly Hockney is a cerebral painter. He is interested in how we see a space, how we move within it.

His landscapes don’t take a single viewpoint, he moves the viewer around the space.

This challenges convention, and importantly in a world where a small screen dictates so much, I think it’s more important than ever to think about the real world and look beyond first impressions.

He forces me to challenge myself, not just to paint a faithful representation of what I see – but go deeper into and around the space.

Take a look at his work >