Second Detail, Snails Space, March 25th 1995

Second Detail, Snails Space, March 27th, 1995, is one in a series of five prints which documents an artwork that simultaneously functions as an installation, inspired by the organised chaos of Hockney’s own studio, in which canvases lined the walls and spread out across the floor, constructing a set in which visitors could enter into a world of colour. Second Detail offers yet another perspective of this fictive world, which is the subject matter of the whole series. From this perspective, rows of small cubes sprawl into the distance, mimicking blocks of houses in an urban metropolis. A tall black conical structure rises above this, echoing a factory chimney. Overall, Second Detail provides a glimpse at a world, constructed by Hockney, blown up to immense size. This artwork would later be transformed into an installation, playing on the idea of “painting as performance” as the artwork would become a silent stage set, inviting viewers to slow down, to a snail’s pace, and observe the beauty of the world around them.