Still Life
Signed Print

As much a view of apartment buildings as a still life, this work by David Hockney is an object lesson in light and shadow in etching. A master printer, Hockney contrasts a range of marks and tones to create a composition that is dynamic in its difference. From the soft, almost pastel-like sweep of shadow at the bottom of the image to the rigid lines of the window frame that recall graph or technical drawing paper, and the precise straight lines of the buildings, the result is harmonious, each element of the composition complementing another. The pens and pencils in a pot are of course the focal point however, and these appear to be carefully studied, despite being everyday objects that would not usually find their way into a traditional still life. Here Hockney bestows them with as much importance as flower stems, their arrangement appearing like a bouquet in its consideration. Hockney returned to the subject of the still life many times in his career, influenced as much by the play of light and space as by the masters such as Morandi and Cézanne who came before him.