The Drooping Plant

Never one to shy away from embracing the digital, Hockney began experimenting with photocopiers in 1986 in a bid to become more independent in his printmaking practice. Rather than using a plate or a stone, photocopying freed Hockney from the restrictions and complications of etching and lithography and allowed him to scan in drawings and marks, as well as found objects, allowing him to play instantly with scale, colour and texture. Here we see him combining the manual and the digital to brilliant effect, as the dropping leaves of the plant are rendered in languorous, watery brushstrokes which contrast with the tight pattern of the wallpaper behind and the grain of the vase and table.

Rendered in monochrome the plant is further offset by the brick red of the background, recalling the earlier print series, A Rake’s Progress where Hockney also allowed red and black to dominate the scenes. Leaving areas of blank space he creates a negative shadow effect which adds further depth to the composition and draws our eye in despite the flatness of the medium. Speaking of his love for the photocopier, the artist said, “I can work with great speed and responsiveness. In fact this is the closest I’ve ever come in printing to what it’s like to paint: I can put something down, evaluate it, alter it, revise it, reexamine it, all in a matter of seconds.”