First to be aware of being at a nexus of art and architecture is thrilling, And then to have a huge exhibit devoted to one of my favorite contemporaries, David Hockney is beyond my ability to wish. In my mind I had been moaning to myself about his return to his native Yorkshire and what I thought was the probable loss of bright edgy colors of his LA period. How wrong I was!!
Bright landscapes inspired by his native county of Yorkshire form the core of this exhibition They fill the museum’s second floor–150 works—oil paintings, acrylics, charcoals and for me the most exciting are iPad drawings demonstrating how he utilizes this tool to create enormous canvases using digital photography spanning separate canvases. Most of this body of work has been created in the past eight years. The exhibition offers a unique vision into Hockney’s creative world and demonstrates his enormous capacity to represent nature using different techniques, as well as revealing his deep attachment to the landscape of his youth. The exhibit also includes his Grand Canyon masterpiece filled with bright oranges and magentas that make my soul vibrate plus landscapes from throughout California to which I cannot help but resonate. It was so exhilarating that I was reluctant to leave. A very good thing we had seen the wonderful cerebral permanent collection on the first and third floor so my viscera could just vibrate nonstop.
Most of the artists represented in the permanent collection were born in an era of political unrest and have been selected because they have made a significant contributions to the development of contemporary art. Each according to Guggenheim literature, has “reacted to the idealogical, economic, social and political forces of a tumultuous century.” I respond to and appreciate most with my intellect. Richard Serra’s The Matter of Time generates my usual passionate response when I really resonate. Serra along with David Hockney and of course Frank Gehry, the architect, were my takeaways, as if you care. What a wonderful gift to be able to visit this stunning site.
