David Hockney part 1

David Hockney (b 1937) is an English painter, draughtsman, printmaker, stage designer and photographer. He is considered one of the most influential British artists of the 20th century.

Whilst doing research I found a website that gave a biography on Hockney including how his photographic collages came about:
"In addition to pools, Hockney painted the interiors and exteriors of California homes. In 1970, this led to the creation of his first “joiner,” an assemblage of Polaroid photos laid out in a grid. Although this medium would become one his claims to fame, he stumbled upon it by accident. While working on a painting of a Los Angeles living room, he took a series of photos for his own reference, and fixed them together so he could paint from the image. When he finished, however, he recognized the collage as an art form unto itself, and began to create more."

Hockney's photographic style is very well known and often imitated. He has developed this by taking photos of his subject from lots of different angles and then collaging them together to create images like the ones below.

In 1982, Hockney created this photo-collage of Merced River.

Merced River, Yosemite Valley, Sept. 1982

I really like this image because I think all the different photos/angles create a strong feeling of the river actually moving. I also love the colours and all the different light effects within the collage.


Hockney has also made collages of people...


Photographing Annie Leibovitz While She Is Photographing Me, Mojave Desert, Feb.1983

 

Including his mother...

Mother, Bradford, Yorkshire, 4th May 1982
Composite Polaroid

Personally, I prefer the collages of landscapes and nature but I think using the polaroid photos, with the white part around each photo, creates an interesting effect on the overall image.