Paint the dawn on your phone

October 8, 2009 6:14 AM

David Hockney's iPhone passion. Audio slide show commentary by critic Lawrence Weschler to accompany his article in the New York Review of Books about Hockney's iPhone paintings using the Brushes feature. Weschler talks more about Hockney's artistic project in this NYRB podcast.
posted by Rain Man (12 comments total)

Wow, I really like these. Audio is nonfunctional on my work computer - do they get into whether or not the art world is trying to place a monetary value on these somehow? In other words, is someone trying to figure out a way to make them collectible? Does Hockney download and print them and sell prints or email them to people? Or is this simply an ephemeral exercise? Imagine if DaVinci did all his sketching, thinking, conceptualizing on a computer...we'd probably never have his notebooks now.
posted by spicynuts at 6:48 AM on October 8, 2009

According to Weschler's podcast, Hockney makes the phone paintings available as is via email.
posted by Rain Man at 6:50 AM on October 8, 2009

Good stuff; thanks, Rain Man.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 7:30 AM on October 8, 2009

That's a good thing for old artists to do, I think. His brushes drawings aren't particularly interesting--unless, of course, you've been DOCUMENTING DAVID HOCHKCHNEY FOR TWENTY YEARS--but at least no pigmentopods or canvasopedes were harmed in their making.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 7:31 AM on October 8, 2009

This is actually a case where technology caught up with David Hockney.

Hockney has been dabbling with technology for years - did a lot of early computer 'painting' - did some paintings by fax machine, and other wackiness.
posted by device55 at 7:36 AM on October 8, 2009

According to Weschler's podcast, Hockney makes the phone paintings available as is via email.

So how does an archivist or specialist handle the inclusion of these things in Hockney's body of work? Like if a gallery was going to do a Hockney late period exhibit - would they have a computer projecting the images like in the linked slide show? Interesting.
posted by spicynuts at 7:48 AM on October 8, 2009

Like if a gallery was going to do a Hockney late period exhibit - would they have a computer projecting the images like in the linked slide show? Interesting.

I'm pretty sure the Hockney gallery at Salts Mill has done exactly this before.
posted by vbfg at 7:54 AM on October 8, 2009

Like if a gallery was going to do a Hockney late period exhibit

I'd mount a bunch of ipod touches to the wall. And it'd still probably cost less than traditional presentation.

Or better yet... they'd all be iphones, and each one could receive a call from Hockney himself at any given point in time.
posted by pokermonk at 8:01 AM on October 8, 2009 [1 favorite]

Brushes users, previously

Also, a point of clarification: Brushes is not an iPhone feature, it's an app that you have to buy.
posted by filthy light thief at 8:50 AM on October 8, 2009

"Does Hockney download and print them and sell prints or email them to people?"

I saw them in a gallery in LA (well, Venice, technically). They're printed out roughly 3' x 2' and look like ass. I didn't know at the time that they were iPhones; they look like some MSPaint shit with the airbrush. Since Hockney's painting has never been as good as his photography or criticism, they mostly look like bullshit pastorals from an artist about to die.
posted by klangklangston at 9:06 AM on October 8, 2009

bullshit pastorals from an artist about to die.

This is a fantastic album title. Except I'd adjust it to Bullshit Pastorals From A Dying Artist. Need a band name though...... The Hockneyed Pros' sophomore album: Bullshit Pastorals From A Dying Artist...now available!
posted by spicynuts at 9:56 AM on October 8, 2009

The paintings of dawn over the North Sea are stunning. Interesting aside from Weschler's audio/ that Hockney had always wanted to paint the dawn, and couldn't because he could not see his paints until the sun had risen... Working on a backlit canvas for the first time, he is able to select astonishing colours.
posted by MinPin at 1:02 PM on October 8, 2009