Untitled No. 852

Hockney’s signature use of a sharp black contour is abandoned here as he seeks to endow the image with a sense of softness. Blades of grass intertwined with the flowers lack a rigid contour and, thus, seem to dissolve playfully against the dark background. The flower petals appear sketched in gentle ink strokes and, thanks to Hockney’s delicate use of colour, attune smoothly to the green background. The series of digital flower paintings follows Hockney’s long-standing experimentations with traditional methods of painting, printmaking, and photocopying. As such, it demonstrates how the artist continues to prove his versatility after five decades of artistic career. Having discovered the iPad, Hockney used to email a new painting of flowers every morning to acquaintances, often a bouquet in a vase similar to that depicted in Dandelions. He said in this context: “I draw flowers every day and send them to friends, so they get fresh flowers every morning. And my flowers last!”