By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Randall Wright
Country: united_kingdom
Year: 2016
Running time: 112
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/find?ref_=nv_sr_fn&q=Hockney&s=all
Bruce says: “David Hockney as a subject is fascinating, complicated and ever so broad. In the contemporary art world, he is nearly without peer, when one considers the breadth and consistent quality of his work. No documentary could truly do Hockney justice, unless we are talking something of a mini-series proportion. Randall Wright no doubt had some tough decisions to make on exactly what to omit in bringing his subject to the screen. I’m pleased to report HOCKNEY is an impressive, well-balanced film. Attention is given to Hockney’s personal life, his artistic process, his accomplishments and his philosophical musings. Notably missing are the landmark events that made Hockney a commercial success and in-depth look at many of his relationships, both business and personal.
“Hockney took the art world by storm in the 1970s when he captured the look and feel of Southern California using a unique style that he had slowly developed when he studied art in London. That style was evident in his early London portraiture using friends and family as models. The documentary covers the various periods of his art and the stages of life that accompany it. Much time is given to his relationship with Peter Schlesinger, clearly the love of Hockney’s life, his only long -term romantic involvement. That, of course, has already been outlined in detail in A BIGGER SPLASH, the 1973 documentary about Hockney’s despair over the split up.
“Although he has returned to Los Angeles, for the past decade Hockney has lived in Yorkshire to be near his family and to capture the environment he so loved growing up. We see the roads, fields, woods juxtaposed with the paintings that vividly capture their bucolic majesty. Equal time is given to Hockney’s Polaroid collages and his vibrant iPad paintings that illustrate his flexibility in adapting to new technologies. John Kasmin, his long-time dealer, fills in some of the details. Friends such as Don Bacardy, Ossie Clark and Celia Birtwell provide interesting vignettes and details about certain paintings and events they shared with Hockney. Much time is spent on archival footage that documents his friendship with the late Henry Geldzahler, Curator of 20th Century Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
“The documentary also covers his stage design work for various operas and the subsequent paintings that evolved from the experience. He is quite deaf now, his operatic days long over. Having recovered from a stroke, he now concentrates exclusively on his creativity. He claims that he now talks less and sees fewer people. Art is his life. 4.5 cats
“(HOCKNEY premiered at the 2014 London Film Festival.)”