David Hockney

Hockney’s mother passed away in the year 1999, the artist had even dedicated a painting to his mom, whom he loved dearly.

The talented artist has publicly admitted that he is gay and many of his works reflect his homosexual personality.

Christopher Simon Sykes, who is a writer and photographer, has penned a book on the famous painter, titled 'David Hockney: A rake's Progress', published in the year 2012. The same year, saw the release of an indie-pop album called 'Mia Pharaoh' which featured a song named after this great artist, titled 'Afternoons with David Hockney'.

David was the fourth child born to Kenneth and Laura Hockney in Bradford, England on July 9th, 1937. His father was known as a conscientious Objector during the Second World War.

The young lad pursued his elementary education at institutions like ‘Wellington Primary School’ and ‘Bradford Grammar School’. He then moved to the ‘Bradford College of Art’ in 1953 to study further. The budding artist was introduced to painting with oils at this institution.

After completing his course at the ‘Bradford College of Art’, Hockney moved to the ‘Royal College of Art’ located in London in 1959 to pursue his further education. It was during his time at Royal College that David met the renowned American artist R.B Kitaj, who influenced him greatly.

The young artist even exhibited his work at this prestigious institution, along with the creations of other artists like Peter Blake. This display of creative work, called ‘Young Contemporaries’, introduced admirers of art to a new style of painting called British pop art.

David first shot to fame through the work titled ‘We Two Boys Together Clinging’, which was created in 1961. Many interpreted the painting to have a strong inclination towards homosexuality.

In 1962, the artist created a wonderful piece of art named ‘The Diploma’. Hockney expressed his fury against the administration of the ‘Royal College of Art’ through this work, since they denied him the opportunity to graduate from the institution at the time.

He then relocated to Los Angeles in 1963, owing to his love for America and an undying obsession towards Hollywood. The same year, he created ‘Domestic Scene, Los Angeles’, yet another painting which depicted homosexuality.

Hockney started teaching at the ‘University of Iowa’ in 1964, after being invited by the institution to impart lessons in art. Although the artist found the work mundane, his time at the University allowed him to create four paintings in a span of just a few weeks.

The artist’s love for Los Angeles made him relocate to the city during the year 1966. The swimming pools in the city caught his fancy, and inspired the artist to create pieces of art like ‘A Bigger Splash’ and ‘Portrait of an Artist’.

David’s biggest painting and one of his best works came out in 2007. This piece of art called ‘Bigger Trees Near Warter’ was around 15 feet by 40 feet in size. This painting was exhibited at the gallery of the ‘Royal Academy of Art’.