David Hockney is one of the most celebrated British contemporary artists,
whose work embraces drawing, painting, printmaking and digital technology. Born
in Bradford, Yorkshire, he studied at the Royal College of Art and was a leading
figure in the Pop Art movement, before moving in 1963 to California, where he
found fresh inspiration, the swimming pool becoming a motif. Self portraiture is
an essential thread in his oeuvre.
This self portrait is one of a series of almost life-size figure paintings
made in Hockney’s Hollywood Hills studio in 2005, all completed from life in
just a few sittings. Hockney worked directly onto the canvas in oils, without
photographic reference or preparatory drawings. In the portrait, Hockney
explores his fascination with mirrors and the theme of the artist and model. The
work sets up a triangular exchange of gazes between the viewer, the artist and
the seated figure, his friend and former studio manager Charlie Scheips.
National Portrait Gallery, London.
Purchased with help from the proceeds of the 150th anniversary gala and Gift Aid visitor ticket donations, 2007
© David Hockney
Photo Credit: Richar Schmidt
