The documentary HOCKNEY is a lot like the artist David Hockney himself and his art: swift, colorful, cheeky, attentive, perceptive, and optimistic without being naïve. David’s view of the world is pieced together in a dense mix of interviews with friends and colleagues, footage of his work, and filmic experiments from Hockney’s private archives. Hockney is a defender of freedom in a friendly and determined way. His inner independence gave him a great sense of humor which allowed him to continue working in a figurative way in an environment filled with dead serious abstract expressionism. He believes that an absolute centralized perspective is inhuman and advocates for multiple perspectives which he implements in his photography and paintings. His non-conformism began with his working-class father who taught him not to care “too much” about what the neighbors thought. This led to him to not hide his homosexuality even though it was still illegal in the 60s. When asked if he was discriminated against, Hockney laconically answers that he lived like a “bohemian” and that the land of bohemians was a tolerant one. This artistic and intellectual lifestyle incorporated intense and vital exchanges with his peers. Director Randall Wright manages to visualize the origins of his work, making the fundamental themes of the artist very comprehensible.

Anna Stemmler

Translation: Elinor Lewy