Nottingham Contemporary

Go to it, i went, it was good. I intend to go many times more before the exhibition ends.

























I really enjoyed the work of david hockney, the elements that i enjoyed the most was the contrast between his early work to his work while in LA. Reknown for being open about his sexuality, his earlier pieces, to me, contradict this. His work is very deep, heavy and quite angry. Using sharp brush strokes, dark tones and hues and a lot of mixed media. His work strongly reminded me of that of Francis Bacon, another artist who was homosexual and quite a tortured soul. Hockneys early work to me implies inner frustration perhaps because of his surroundings or his sexuality and his repressed emotions are transferred onto canvas, much like that of Bacon. In a stark contrast however, Hockneys more famous works, produced in LA, show a far more relaxed and at peace person. Gentler colours and a more disciplined approach to his painting results in a calm and sophisticated and very contemporary style of work.

This is what i enjoyed most about the gallery, not seeing his work, but instead seeing the development made through his journey from student to practicing artist in LA, where he really came into his own.