Discord Merely Magnifies
Discord Merely Magnifies
Signed Print
David Hockney
£2,350-£3,500
$4,850-$7,000 Value Indicator
$4,350-$6,500 Value Indicator
¥23,000-¥35,000 Value Indicator
€2,700-€4,050 Value Indicator
$25,000-$35,000 Value Indicator
¥470,000-¥690,000 Value Indicator
$3,150-$4,750 Value Indicator
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46 x 51cm, Edition of 200, Intaglio
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Meaning & Analysis
Arranged in a way that makes it difficult to exactly define the depicted setting, a series of simple, geometrical forms dominates the central image of David Hockney’s soft-ground etching Discord Merely Magnifies (1977). Featuring pieces of furniture and utility items, the scene comes close to the representation of a modern interior, but one that has been heavily deconstructed. A square form dominates the bottom of the image, representing an anchor point towards which several disparate objects seem to gravitate. Conveyed in orange and blue with simple contour lines, a chair, wine glass, and cutlery appear next to the central square form, spread casually on the ground. A seemingly unremarkable detail at a first glance, the wine glass casts an unreal orange shadow, reflecting Hockney’s interest in the illusions of light, space, and perspective.
A series of music notes runs parallel to the bottom line of the square shape, creating a dialogue with an unfinished guitar shape above. Images related to music can be seen as a unifying theme across the diverse works included in The Blue Guitar series to which Discord Merely Magnifies belongs. Hockney inserts musical references in each of the etchings as a way of engaging with idea of imaginative freedom explored originally by Wallace Stevens in his 1937 poem The Man With The Blue Guitar. Considering its abstract composition, eclectic accumulation of geometrical shapes and images, the print can be seen as a visual representation of Stevens’ central stanza: “Things as they are are changed upon the blue guitar.” Here, Hockney demonstrates the power of the medium to represent his private world of imagination.