A Bigger Message: Conversations with David Hockney
Martin Gayford
A Bigger Message: Conversations with David Hockney
In this book, a record of a decade of private conversations with art critic Martin Gayford, David Hockney reveals via reflection, anecdote, passion and humour the fruits of his lifelong meditations on the problems and paradoxes of representing a three-dimensional world on a flat surface. These conversations are punctuated by observations from both parties on numerous other artists, and enlivened by insights into the contrasting social and physical landscapes of California, where Hockney spent so many years, and Yorkshire, the birthplace to which he has returned. Some of the diverse people he has encountered along the way from Henri Cartier-Bresson to Billy Wilder also make entries into the dialogue.
3.7 out of 5 based on 3 reviews
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Omniscore:
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| Classification |
Non-fiction |
| Genre |
Art, Architecture & Photography |
| Format |
Hardback |
| Pages |
248 |
| RRP |
£18.95 |
| Date of Publication |
September 2011 |
| ISBN |
978-0500238875 |
| Publisher |
Thames & Hudson |
| |
In this book, a record of a decade of private conversations with art critic Martin Gayford, David Hockney reveals via reflection, anecdote, passion and humour the fruits of his lifelong meditations on the problems and paradoxes of representing a three-dimensional world on a flat surface. These conversations are punctuated by observations from both parties on numerous other artists, and enlivened by insights into the contrasting social and physical landscapes of California, where Hockney spent so many years, and Yorkshire, the birthplace to which he has returned. Some of the diverse people he has encountered along the way from Henri Cartier-Bresson to Billy Wilder also make entries into the dialogue.
MAN WITH A BLUE SCARF by Martin Gayford
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Reviews
The Guardian
Margaret Drabble
“This book is a celebration of trees and bigger trees and some of the biggest landscape paintings in art history. It is about much more than that, but trees are at its massive, strongly beating, very English heart, and David Hockney's discovery of them is an invitation to us all to look better, see better, enjoy more ... [A] beautifully illustrated volume”
05/11/2011
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The Spectator
Grey Gowrie
“… a key text for modern art. We are treated to many Hockney perceptions. Two favourites: ‘Caravaggio invented Hollywood lighting’ (now I understand why I admire and dislike this painter) and ‘Photographs are surfaces, not space which is more mysterious even than surfaces.’”
29/10/2011
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The Observer
Ben Lewis
“Martin Gayford's new book about David Hockney is not just, as its title suggests, a record of "conversations". It's a combination of face-to-face encounters and a series of essays that contextualise Hockney's projects over the past five years. Elegantly and simply written, the essays draw you into Hockney's world of country lanes, large studios and famous friends, and into his fascination with light, perspective and the photography/painting divide. But whether you find that world gorgeously beautiful or frustratingly pedestrian will depend on your take on Hockney's visually seductive but intellectually unambitious work.”
09/10/2011
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