Page 30 - PROTAGONIST-135

The Louis Vuitton Foundation in star of English Pop Art, but he broke happen, appreciating their colors, their
Paris is dedicating a major exhibition away from the crowd, unstoppably, fly- shapes in perspective, the reflection
to him, which opened in April. Hockney ing with his success to California, the or transparency of the water, and the
was born in 1937, and this is key. place where his palette found a natural glamor of the life inhabiting them.
Why? Because for an 88-year-old home. He paints portraits, often dou-
one might expect a retrospective, a It was in Los Angeles that he found ble; views; still lifes in all formats, tech-
celebration of the masterpieces pro- the inspiration to paint his most fa- niques, and sizes.
duced throughout his 70-year career. mous subjects: swimming pools. The He devotes himself to all kinds of
Instead, he also wished to exhibit new iconic theme encapsulates all the sug- artistic expression. He is an excellent
works conceived and prepared for the gestive and flamboyant language of photographer who uses the Polaroid
occasion. his paintings. camera in a very personal way, invent-
What an unmissable event! The pools are depicted in a variety ing a form of descriptive Cubism, cir-
Hockney is famous for his vivid of situations. Sometimes they are blue cling the subject and shooting it dozens
paintings blooming with sun and light. rectangles surrounded by palm trees or of times, whether it is a landscape, an
As an Englishman brought up with luxurious villas in the background, object, or a person. He documents the
among the waxy hues of Britain, he sometimes they are the center of every- shapes, tricking the perspective, using
paints pictures that are triumphs of day life on the privileged West Coast, the eyes to recount what the brain can-
color. with athletic bodies plunging in, gener- not imagine.
His eye decided to expand the pal- ating majestic splashes that become He is a great illustrator who mas-
ette volume, fully saturating it, acceler- the true subjects. In other cases, one tered the use of pencils and pastels
ating towards the brightest blues, yel- glimpses swimmers submerged in the and created lithographs and burin en-
lows, emerald greens, pinks, and reds. azure depths of elegant, sun-drenched gravings. He even experimented with
Everything is lit up, just like his ca- pans of water under the gaze of char- the iPad.
reer, which took off immediately. It all acters in colorful jackets. Hockney saw He designs sets and costumes for
began in the 1960s when he was the the pool as a theater where things could the opera and theater.

28 Art Protagonist