If One Copy Survives- David Hockney outtake 26/80

David had just finished his Thames and Hudson book 'Hockney’s Pictures' and decided to describe himself as a “creator of images”, a term to encompass a lifetime of experimentation in different media and art forms. From his first book My Early Years (published in 1976) onward, he had given a lot of thought to the reproduction of his work, to self-presentation and posterity. As a result, all his books stand out visually, a testament to his eye, to his graphic skills and the control he exercises over the whole process.
 
Witness this scene in his LA Studio. He is discussing the design of the LA Louver catalogue Hand Eye Heart with his studio manager and chief assistant Gregory Evans, his studio technician Richard Schmidt and David Goulds, his West Coast art dealer since 1979. Sometimes it can take a long time to get a decision. There is a larger truth here. Reproduction is at the heart of Hockney’s art. He came of age when art books started to embrace colour and detail. His career was propelled into the limelight through reproduction, in posters and postcards and colour supplements. The work is alive and attuned to this technology, often working best in reproduction, blown up or in eye-popping detail. Hockney has always been singularly aware of scale and the possibilities of enlargement, ramping up the work, of being in it, as he would say. It doesn’t always work but sometimes it really does. ‘Mulholland Drive’ and ‘Bigger Trees nearer Warter’ stick out in my mind.
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This video is an outtake from David Hockney: A Bigger Picture, an award-winning documentary by filmmaker Bruno Wollheim.

Watch the full film here: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/116394

Filmed over three years with unprecedented access, A Bigger Picture captures Britain’s most beloved painter at work. David Hockney’s return from California to paint the East Yorkshire landscape of his childhood – outside, in all weathers, through the seasons – culminates in the largest picture ever made outdoors. It’s an inspiring story of a painter in creative dialogue with nature and photography, and a revealing portrait of Britain’s most popular and celebrated artist.

“This wonderful film … will be of lasting importance for future generations who want to understand Hockney’s art.” Saturday Review, BBC Radio 4

“Bruno Wollheim’s portrait of this forthright magus is an unqualified, life-enhancing joy from start to finish.” – The Sunday Times

“This film may well be the best anyone will ever make about Hockney’s process.” – The Times, London.

“As gently hypnotic and fulfilling as one of Hockney’s own works.” – Time Out

“This impressive documentary is almost cinematic in its scope… both majestic and intimate” – The Observer

Watch the full documentary here: https://vimeo.com/224807729

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