Since the name of my blog pays homage to a classic piece by David Hockney, and that painting ("A Bigger Splash") is the header image of my blog, I figured it was about time to pay tribute to my second favorite modern artist. As an important contributor to the pop art movement, Hockney began painting in the early 60s and still paints to this day. Hockney's personal life is documented in the brilliant aptly titled cult 1973 film "A Bigger Splash" directed by Jack Hazan, which is centered around the break up of his at-the-time boyfriend, Peter Schlesinger, and how that split affected his work. It's a meandering and avant-garde little flick, but it captures Hockney's life poetically and genuinely and is worth a watch if you can track it down.
These are only a few of a vast multitude of works from Mr. Hockney. His complete (as far as I'm aware) collection can be viewed on his website, here
Finally, a scene from A Bigger Splash showing Hockney (playing himself) working on a piece in his apartment studio and then getting frustrating and tearing into another canvas with a knife, ripping it to shreds. The film, much like the similar and equally rewarding El Sol Del Membrillo by Victor Erice, is very subtle and lacking in action or plot, but full of depth and emotion, and captures the essence of the artist.
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