David Hockney: The Arrival Of Spring, Normandy, 2020 – Royal Academy, London

A review of the RA’s new show of iPad paintings by David Hockney. I found them to be pleasant but not something I would write home about.

David Hockney: Still Going Strong

The Royal Academy have been a steady contributor to London’s exhibition scene in the last year despite all the trials and tribulations of lockdowns and restrictions. We have seen works by Picasso, Gauguin and the Impressionists, Spilliaert, Emin and Munch, and Michael Armitage. This time we are back for a small-ish exhibition in the main rooms of the RA, of recent work by David Hockney. More specifically, he’s been drawing/painting again on his iPad.

Long before this blog existed, the Royal Academy did a major blockbuster Hockney retrospective which included his first iPad works depicting the arrival of Spring in Yorkshire. At the time I was a bit bemused, but then again iPads were newer back then. Anyway, coinciding with (but not caused by) the first lockdown last year, David Hockney was in Normandy for the specific purpose of capturing the arrival of Spring in a series of new works. There are many hundreds of them. And this RA show takes a selection and organises them somewhat chronologically, somewhat thematically.

It is quite curious that visitors are not allowed to take photographs in this exhibition. And the RA is at pains to note that this is at the artist’s request. Perhaps it’s to do with the reproducibility of digital works? I mean if you have a good jpeg of a digital painting, is it that different than owning the original? Someone stop me before I get onto NFTs…

Time To Change The Subject

So yes. This exhibition explores Hockney’s attempts to depict the arrival of Spring in Normandy in 2020. To begin the exhibition there are two animated works (one depicting rain and one showing how the works are built up but also sort of showing the progression of seasons). We then move through into three large rooms where we see the changing of the seasons from misty February mornings to beautiful late Spring sunsets. There are smaller groupings that show cherry blossom, or the same hill in different lights and weathers. It reminded me a little of Cézanne and the Mont Sainte-Victoire.

The difference, though, between Hockney and Cézanne is in the medium. Cézanne was working en plein air in oils, and Hockney was on his iPad. Why does this make such a difference to me? I think part of it is that I am a big old Benjaminian (see the NFT article I linked earlier), and there is something about ‘authenticity’ and ‘aura’ which is important to me. I also like to see the artist’s hand in the works I am viewing. To know that they placed the brushstrokes I can see if I look closely. It’s a little different looking at digital effects and dappled stamps on some sort of print-out.

So my overall impression was that it was pleasant. Some nice colours. Some interesting effects. But I wasn’t really taken by the exhibition. I spent 30 minutes there, which was me really pushing myself to slow down and look properly. I didn’t feel any particular emotions looking at the works. Maybe I’m just old-fashioned and will be left behind as more art turns digital? Or maybe there really is something about a human creating an artwork that machines and digital techniques can’t replicate. Only time will tell.

Salterton Arts Review’s rating: 2.5/5

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