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He’s still at it, the celebrated painter. Now in his late eighties, with over six decades of professional experience that has seen him rise to the pinnacle of the contemporary art pile, the artist remains active with his brush, still experimenting, persistently inventing, and regularly exhibiting his work.

Exploring the Art Display

This art presentation – debuting in a prestigious central London venue for his long-term gallery, which has represented him for decades – is packed with paintings so new you can almost smell the wet paint. The initial gallery features intensely vibrant still life compositions: chairs, tables, fruit and flowers. It’s the most old-fashioned and staid of subject matter, Hockney’s approach is never boring, is it?

His Van Gogh-y wicker chairs are neon yellow and luminous purple; his floors present bold contrasts with red, yellow, and orange forms; his fruit depictions are simple, elemental, and youthful. Across the works, he toys with what he calls “reverse perspective”, an attempt to replicate how we actually see the world, not the static view of life found in photos and traditional art. So everything looks wobbly and twisted. His chair legs splay, his tablecloths bend and curve. I don’t think it’s any closer to “real” perspective compared to conventional techniques, yet the dizzying, uneasy sensation it produces is engaging and amusing. Photos of gardens are pasted into some of the compositions – brief peeks into a muted English setting that just make the rest of each work feel brighter and sunnier.

Nothing he does is ever dull … Delphiniums on My Garden Table, a recent creation.

The Evolution of Brushwork

What is unmistakable is how much shakier these brush marks are than they used to be. Classic Hockney is so assured, so in command of his paintbrush, but these new works are almost shockingly unsteady. The brush marks are full of quivers and tremors, the lines are all over the shop, bits of white underpainting poke out everywhere. They’re almost a mess, yet they are instantly, distinctly, and unmistakably his. This creates a deeply moving and poignant encounter – we observe a legendary artist aging through his art. Contrast this with his initial pieces featured in a separate exhibition earlier this year and it almost starts to feel like bookends of a career, and the somber reality is somewhat difficult to accept, truly.

Portraits: A Mixed Reception

The portrait section is the most controversial aspect. His method for depicting skin has edged more towards pointillism in recent times and the result is a bunch of bodies that appear afflicted with blemishes. Every subject is patchy, red-faced and pockmarked, dabbed with pink and red hues with the exception of one individual who looks somewhat decayed. The figures are closer to fresh corpses than living beings with heartbeats and vitality. A three-panel mirror portrait is conceptually interesting, but he just looks like a bloke uncomfortably poised outside the John Lewis changing rooms. Solely the self-representation depicting the artist working from a wheelchair really works, due to its raw openness, and its humorous self-reflection.

Quiet and austere … 8th April 2020, No. 2.

Digital Explorations

Upstairs, the artist persists with his digital creations with a series of “paintings” of the moon; predominantly somber and atmospheric, large radiant spheres suspended over darkened scenery. They emanate tranquility, starkness, and a touch of melancholy. I won’t hear any whingeing about his iPad work – people complain about the lack of texture and brush marks and human touch, etc., yet in my view, they are impressive – an artist mastering modern tools, showing that whatever the medium, he preserves his distinctive artistic identity.

The Question of Prolificacy

However, do we really need yet another Hockney exhibition? Over ten exhibitions of his art have been held in London in the last eight or nine years alone, not to mention the giant retrospective in Paris a few months back, and this is not the final display. Another significant event is planned for 2026, as well. I admire Hockney, yet I believe there may be a limit.

Nevertheless, we ought to appreciate him while possible. Here, through these recent pieces with their wobbles and humour and light and color, he’s just proving that he’s still at it, and his talent endures, decades into his career.