Still Life With Book
Signed Print

A bunch of irises, their flowers perhaps a more inky blue than their usual violet, has been placed in a glass Art Deco vase on a table. Beside it sits a copy of Bouvard et Pécuchet by Gustave Falubert. A man’s face appears on the cover of the book, adding an element of characterization to this still life. It is hard to discern the relationship between the two objects and yet they sit in perfect harmony in this spare composition. A faint line denotes the edge of a table against a wall and some light shading tells us the light is coming from the left. The still life is a subject which Hockney has returned to again and again throughout his extensive career and never seems to tire of. Perhaps it is his fascination with light and optics, perspective and representation, that keeps him coming back to these simple arrangements which evoke delight and serenity in so many viewers. As well as being a student of light and space, Hockney is also a very referential artist and in this way he can be seen to be quoting from many artists who came before him who produced still lifes as well as showing off his literary nous.