Alka Seltzer
Signed Print

Recalling some of David Hockney’s earliest prints, such as Myself and My Heroes, Alka Seltzer sees Hockney returning to the monochrome palette of his first etchings, despite having lived in LA for over five years and having produced a number of works in colour by the time this print was made in 1969. As with his famous painting Typhoo here Hockney hones in on the design of product packaging which becomes the focus of the composition. In front of the letters of the packet a crude figure appears to pass by, wearing a flimsy veil and paired with a stern figure in profile who recalls the figures in A Rake’s Progress. In this way the work is not strictly a still life however it becomes a kind of object lesson which Hockney imbues with life. Here the artist takes his familiar practice of paying close attention to an object or logo and transforms it into a living tableau, injecting the still life with a narrative. Always one to push the limits of his subjects as well his medium, Hockney would revisit the still life as subject many times throughout his long career, whether through lithography, etching or digital drawing.