This was a surprising moment: I hadn’t made a connection between his art and female taste, but David had. The question, his answer, his surprise and amusement, is left tantalizingly in the air. Is it the Hockney space that attracts women? And is there such a thing as female taste anyway? Perhaps it’s enough to say that David had noticed that women accounted for a substantial amount of his fan mail.
A related aside: I entered into some interesting correspondence with buyers of my DVD on Amazon, mostly Hockney fans, but some had come across it by accident or had been lured in by the customer reviews. I haven’t conducted any type of gender survey myself, but I did notice that the women customers fell into two groups: those who found David a charming and loveable father figure and those who found him controlling, almost threatening. I rationalized these polar reactions in terms of Hockney serving as a kind of litmus paper, a measure perhaps of a daughter’s personal experience of fatherly authority.
A film-making aside: talking to David on camera had its challenges. Sometimes he was on auto-pilot and would go off on a well-oiled hobbyhorse, repeating things he’d already said almost word-for-word (sometimes useful when editing, since you could select the best version). And sometimes he could take you utterly by surprise.
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This video is an outtake from David Hockney: A Bigger Picture, an award-winning documentary by filmmaker Bruno Wollheim.
Watch the full film here: vimeo.com/2248...
Filmed over three years with unprecedented access, A Bigger Picture captures Britain’s most beloved painter at work. David Hockney’s return from California to paint the East Yorkshire landscape of his childhood - outside, in all weathers, through the seasons - culminates in the largest picture ever made outdoors. It’s an inspiring story of a painter in creative dialogue with nature and photography, and a revealing portrait of Britain’s most popular and celebrated artist.
“This wonderful film … will be of lasting importance for future generations who want to understand Hockney’s art.” Saturday Review, BBC Radio 4
“Bruno Wollheim’s portrait of this forthright magus is an unqualified, life-enhancing joy from start to finish.” - The Sunday Times
“This film may well be the best anyone will ever make about Hockney’s process.” - The Times, London.
“As gently hypnotic and fulfilling as one of Hockney’s own works.” - Time Out
“This impressive documentary is almost cinematic in its scope… both majestic and intimate” - The Observer
Watch the full documentary here: vimeo.com/2248...
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