The Arrival Of Spring In Woldgate, East Yorkshire In 2011 (twenty eleven) - 17 April

In 2010 Apple released the iPad and Hockney’s practice was transformed. This new digital sketchbook allowed him to become even more prolific in his old age, transforming his drawings into digital prints that could be disseminated widely. Beginning in January and ending in early June, the works show the transformation of a country lane which starts as an unforgiving winter landscape and ends in a verdant celebration of life. With 17th April we find the first signs of leaves returning to the branches in a composition dominated by bright greens and soft pinks which seem to denote sunset. As with many of the prints in this series Hockney has chosen to include the road that divides the greenery as well as a crumbling wall, perhaps in order to remind us of the human presence in this scene. Combining fine lines with gestural marks and hazy washes of colour, Hockney uses the iPad to recreate some of his earlier work across etching, lithography and screen printing. Here we see the artist truly connect with his medium which requires no intermediary, no screen, no plate or assistant. Instead the iPad becomes just another page in his sketchbook, offering an immediate and spontaneous recording of the beauty of nature.