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Medium: Etching
Edition size: 50
Year: 1963
Size: H 30cm x W 40cm
Signed: Yes
Format: Signed Print
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Auction Date | Auction House | Location | Hammer Price | Return to Seller | Buyer Paid |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
January 2017 | Phillips London | United Kingdom |
Using both etching and aquatint Hockney has updated the classic series of 18th century prints by Hogarth for modern times. Disintegration is the seventh plate in the British artist’s take on A Rake’s Progress and marks a point of further unravelling in the story, following on from other melancholy or disturbing scenes such as The Wallet Begins to Empty and Death in Harlem.
Based on Hockney's own experience of visiting New York for the first time, the images in this series are haunting portrayals of loneliness and isolation in an alien city. Far from being the lively rake of Hogarth’s story, Hockney’s protagonist is a downcast figure who is struggling to make his way as an artist and gay man. In Disintegration the figure is looking at a billboard advert for whisky showing an empty glass on a checked tablecloth. The figure’s nose appears to have been cut off from his face and above his head is a troubling cloud of red ink. While Hogarth’s scenes are packed with detail, Hockney prefers to leave his compositions spare, the white background adding to the feeling of isolation and uncertainty. This is something he would carry on in later etchings and lithographs including his famous series of portraits of his friends where the details of an interior are left out apart from a chair or a bedsheet.
British-born artist David Hockney is a kaleidoscopic force in the art world. Born in 1937, Hockney's vibrant palette and innovative techniques have left an indelible mark on contemporary art. A pioneer of the British Pop Art movement in the 1960s, he seamlessly transitioned through various styles, from photo collages to vivid landscapes. Renowned for his exploration of light and space, Hockney's versatility extends to painting, printmaking, photography, and stage design. A captivating storyteller, his works often capture the essence of modern life with a playful yet profound touch. With a career spanning decades, Hockney remains an enduring visionary in the ever-evolving art world.