I listened to a short interview with David Hockney on the tram in to college today (https://youtu.be/P2vPPviP9B8). As usual his analysis of art and our appreciation of the world around us was delivered with Yorkshire frankness and a wry smile. The quote that stuck with me is this one:
Most people don’t look. They scan the ground around them so they can move around but that’s about it
Hockney persistently manages to keep up with the zeitgeist and with this comment he summarises the blinkered, monotone view of the world we see so often in the people around us.
Later in the interview he is challenged with a comment that states painting is dead and photography has replaced it. His instant retort is a sharp “No it’s not”. His argument is that photography captures an instant but a painting captures the passage of time. This is so true. I go to see paintings and photography galleries for different reasons but both have value and power. Long may Hockney continue to fly the flag for all forms of artistic expression.