Eye-catching: A Review of Hockney’s Eye.

Words by Amelia Erswell

Exhibition Catalogue, Fitzwilliam Museum, 2022.

From the 15th March – 29th August the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge is displaying David Hockney’s new exhibition, Hockney’s Eye: The Art and Technology of Depiction. Being local to Cambridge myself, I had the pleasure of visiting this exhibition in the first few weeks of its unveiling. 

In this particular exhibition, Hockney addresses the intersection between modern and classic art, through varying approaches to composition and technique. An array of multimedia mediums are set forth, from cameras and digital drawing to canvases and sketches; there is something for every artistic palate. The audience’s journey through the exhibition is original and organic, visitors are free to explore the museum in its entirety. Cleverly curated, Hockney’s artwork is interspersed throughout the Fitzwilliam’s permanent collection, a lurid lime green accent on the walls and floor is used to distinguish his work and guide the participant. 

One of the main contributors to the pop-art movement, Hockney is regarded by some as the most influential British artist in the 20th century. I first experienced Hockney’s work in 2012 when visiting David Hockney RA: A Bigger Picture at the Royal Academy and subsequently in 2019 at the Monterey Museum of Art, when on holiday in America. Whilst I adore his iPad landscape drawings, the image forever seared into my memory is Portrait of an Artist or Pool with Two Figures (1972). Through the use of multiple perspectives, a distorted underwater swimmer and onlooker at the pool’s edge, this infamous painting foreshadows the current exhibition’s interest in perspective and the process behind artistic construction. Whilst pools became a motif throughout his work during the 1960/70s, Hockney’s later work adopts a more digital response to portraiture and landscape.

Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures), 1972.

By far my favourite image in the current exhibition is Portrait of Sir David Webster (1972). This is one of the only paintings that Hockney has ever been commissioned to paint. I am drawn in by his clever use of negative space, how the long glass table extends out of the composition and cleverly draws one’s eye across the painting. The lone tulip that leans towards the left, alludes to the direction of the light source that illuminates Webster’s features in all their contemplative glory. The pop of Webster’s blue pocket-square harks back to the colour scheme and shadows of the water in Pool with Two Figures, whilst the opaque glass and sea-green floor evoke the lighter water and its iridescent reflections (as well as the mountain in the landscape).

Portrait of Sir David Webster, 1972.

Returning to Hockney’s Eye, the exhibition is immensely interactive. From videos that document classic approaches to landscape perspective (through virtual CGI reconstruction of contemporary paintings that depict architecture) to Perspex screens (with an array of intersecting lines), the Hockney exhibition serves an educational purpose for the budding artist and art lover alike. One of the marvellous things about Hockney is his versatility as an artist, and his desire to push the boundaries with innovative new exhibitions. Having been admitted to the acclaimed Bradford School of Art aged 16, now 86, Hockney has never looked back. 

In April 2022, Hockney released a new book, titled Spring Cannot be Cancelled, which has since become a Sunday Times Bestseller. Revealing the process behind Hockney’s depictions of springtime in Normandy, through a collection of conversations between Hockney and his friend Martin Gayford, the book is enlightening and absolutely delightful. Both the book and exhibition offer a priceless insight into the creative thought process of a modern day innovator within the art industry.

Spring Cannot Be Cancelled (2022), David Hockney's new book.

So as not to spoil the experience, I will just end by noting that Hockney’s Eye is a fantastic showcase and definitely something to visit over summer! Admission is completely free and what could be better than a sunny summer day in Cambridge and an exhibition, followed by a little bit of punting and a picnic? 

Click here to watch the trailer for Hockney’s Eye and for more information on how to book tickets.