ART AND CULTURE: David Hockney EXHIBITION review 

Living in London – the world’s most diverse artistic community, I tend not to miss out any art exhibitions and events. Yet, I cannot describe the extent of my excitement, when I was invited to a guided tour of David Hockney’s exhibition at Royal Academy of Arts, London.

Getting there…

Located within 5 minutes walk from both Piccadilly Circus and Green Park tube stations, the magnificent well lit 17^th century building benefits from a ground floor entrance and easy step free access.  Being one of the largest and most influential Art institutions in the UK, the Royal Academy (RA) offers a diverse range of exhibitions and events, for all ages and interests...

David Hockney’s work…

The first major display in the UK of landscape work by David Hockney included a range of large scale paintings, mostly featuring the Yorkshire landscapes. Interestingly, the artist created many of these pieces in order to be showcased in the RA, along with related drawings and videos. Another part of the exhibition was dedicated to David’s use of technology, in particular his iPad drawings, which amazingly were drawn using only his finger.

David Hockeney’s exhibition was named “A Bigger Picture” and indeed it was. When entering the first room of Hockney’s work, I was taken by the sheer size of the enormous canvases as well as his use of colour – creating realistically clear paintings. The whole exhibition is a warm colour explosion, optimism underpins his work which has the effect of creating a friendly and welcoming atmosphere in the large and imposing space.  His work has a childlike quality and really does speak to his positive attitude towards life. Hockney’s iPad drawings are something worth mentioning. Printed on the highest quality paper, they are slightly less bright but still extremely engaging in terms of how much detail has been included in his landscapes. You may even enjoy the video work, which you will be able to view in the darkened cinema room located towards the back of the exhibition – the video has been created by filming the same place but using 18 different cameras (without audio).

With such helpful and dedicated RA staff, not to mention our charming volunteer guide Barbara, this was a great opportunity to experience the work of a very talented artist. In fact, nothing can compare to the experience of being escorted around by a highly-skilled and knowledgeable guide who obviously has a passion for art!