7th April 2021, Three Daffodils In A Bottle

This drawing follows the one dated 23 March in the same series. The two can be read together as part of a spring sequence in which Hockney recorded the flowers that came into season. The restricted subject of three stems in a single bottle is typical of his approach to still life, where the simplicity of the arrangement leaves room for the handling of colour and line. Daffodils, with their strong yellow and clear silhouette, suit the iPad’s bright screen. The drawing exploits the way the medium handles saturated colour against a darker ground. Hockney has made the daily arrival of flowers and blossom a theme since the East Yorkshire work of 2011. The 2021 drawings pick up that interest in a more intimate, domestic format.