David Hockney
David Hockney
David Hockney, OM CH RAis an English painter, draughtsman, printmaker, stage designer and photographer. An important contributor to the Pop art movement of the 1960s, he is considered one of the most influential British artists of the 20th century...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionPhotographer
Date of Birth9 July 1937
art understanding magic
In the end nobody knows how it's done — how art is made. It can't be explained. Optical devices are just tools. Understanding a tool doesn't explain the magic of creation. Nothing can.
ink problem printing
The problem is, photographic dyes and printing inks aren't as good as paint, actually.
interesting people faces
Faces are the most interesting things we see; other people fascinate me, and the most interesting aspect of other people - the point where we go inside them - is the face. It tells all.
mean space people
Being able to draw means being able to put things in believable space. People who don't draw very well can't do that.
thinking greedy burden
I think I’m greedy, but I’m not greedy for money - I think that can be a burden - I’m greedy for an exciting life.
photography space cameras
Photography sees surfaces, it doesn't see space. We see space but the camera doesn't.
beautiful passion thinking
If you see the world as beautiful, thrilling and mysterious, as I think I do, then you feel quite alive.
space interesting people
The camera can't see space. It sees surfaces. People see space, which is much more interesting.
california mind
California is always in my mind.
believe mean hands
You can't believe any picture nowadays, if it's digital. You can't really believe. If you see me shaking hands with Mr. [Barack] Obama, it doesn't mean I ever met him, does it?
drawing missing done
I can often tell when drawings are done from photographs, because you can tell what they miss out, what the camera misses out: usually weight and volume - there's a flatness to them.
art people trying
What an artist is trying to do for people is bring them closer to something, because of course art is about sharing. You wouldn't be an artist unless you wanted to share an experience, a thought.
effective-listening listening
Listening is a positive act: you have to put yourself out to do it.
liberty serious speak subject
Someone has to speak up. It's a serious subject because really the subject is liberty.