"Every tree is different. Every single one. The branches, the forces in it; they are marvellously different.
You are thrilled.
This is the infinity of nature."
There was sad news today of the passing of David Hockney RA yesterday.
He has captured the landscapes of many countries, and over the decades - my wife is an art educator - I have visited many of the exhibitions of his work and varied styles with her, in many London galleries but also elsewhere.
We've seen his large works, his iPad drawings, pencil crayon work, photo collages and plenty of portraits.
Last Easter, my wife and I visited Paris and attended the opening weekend of a huge retrospective of his work, which he also attended. This took place at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in the Bois de Boulogne.
The building was superb and was full of Hockney from bottom to top - and the tickets were very reasonably priced too compared to some of the more crowded exhibitions we'd been to.
All images taken at the recent Hockney exhibition in Paris in 2025. Images by Alan Parkinson.
We've also made some special trips to some of the places that Hockney worked over the years.
Including Yorkshire...as mentioned in this paper.
When my son was doing his Art GCSE and 'A' level, we went to the 'tunnel' in the Yorkshire Wolds where he painted a number of famous paintings, and also headed to a number of other painting locations in that area where there were piles of logs and tree stumps at Woldgate. Hockney was working here in 2011. That took a bit of finding...
I used a Hockney quote for a long time when working with the GA on some conferences for teachers. It was also in my Teachmeet Icons keynote. It's about finding beauty in the natural world and more-than-human encounters.
Hockney has often said that drawing teaches you to see more clearly. His textures of grass, the way light plays on water, and the particular shape of trees are rooted in close, direct observation of nature, even when rendered in wildly Fauvist colours or simplified forms. By insisting on looking harder at the world, Hockney carries forward a lesson shared by the great tradition of landscape painting: that art can reveal deeper truths about what we see every day.
Update
Plenty of coverage of Hockney's life and newspaper features on his career and influence on others.
The Geological Society had previously analysed some of his large format works such as the Grand Canyon (which was on display at LVF)
The Turner Contemporary in Margate has a window he designed on display until November. It is visible from inside looking out to sea, and then at night is illuminated from within. My daughter saw it yesterday and sent this photo.
Image: E. Parkinson
Also, here's a sample of the many Hockney books we have on our shelves: Art and Geography combining to line the walls of many rooms in our house.
Image: Alan Parkinson
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