Art

Spring Cannot Be Cancelled

Spring Cannot Be Cancelled

  • Downloads：4742
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-05-31 11:31:03
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：David Hockney
  • ISBN：0500094365
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Reviews

Kristina ，

Glorious exchange of thoughts and pictures between Hockney and his long time friend and biographer Martin Gayford that took place during the lockdown year。 It's refreshingly unpretentious， simple dialogue， yet energising in a weird way。 Must be all the bright colours the painter still pulls out of his sleeve after 80 years。 Love love love。 Glorious exchange of thoughts and pictures between Hockney and his long time friend and biographer Martin Gayford that took place during the lockdown year。 It's refreshingly unpretentious， simple dialogue， yet energising in a weird way。 Must be all the bright colours the painter still pulls out of his sleeve after 80 years。 Love love love。 。。。more

Martin Allen ，

Exquisite。 A picture may paint a thousand words， but inside the beautiful bright pastel dust jacket， a few thousand Martin Gayford words paint the most stunning picture of Hockney’s life and work during 2019/2029 at his home in Normandy。 Conversation between author and subject and descriptive text is layered with dozens of vibrant Hockney art as well as other pictures and paintings relevant to the narrative。 I struggled to put this book down。 And will no doubt read again sometime。

Barrowsend ，

Hockney muses on how to see， and enjoy， even the smallest details during a spring in lockdown。 Wonderful images throughout。

Jennifer ，

I can't remember quite what attracted me to this book， but I suspect the appeal of the title in pandemic 2021 following pandemic 2020 had something to do with it。 However， I think the book will be of enduring interest， it's not someone's lockdown project。。。 both the writing and the phase of Hockney's life and art began before lives and the book were shaped by it。I found it tremendously readable and well constructed。 A blend of Martin Gayford's words about circumstances， art， Hockney's life， thei I can't remember quite what attracted me to this book， but I suspect the appeal of the title in pandemic 2021 following pandemic 2020 had something to do with it。 However， I think the book will be of enduring interest， it's not someone's lockdown project。。。 both the writing and the phase of Hockney's life and art began before lives and the book were shaped by it。I found it tremendously readable and well constructed。 A blend of Martin Gayford's words about circumstances， art， Hockney's life， their regular conversations and examples of art， Hockney's lifetime work and current focus， and that of other artists， to illustrate the points each was making。 It is faintly hagiographic - Gayford is writing of an admired old friend and Hockney does not go in for false modesty - but only faintly。 I came away with an increased appreciation for Hockney's work and artists more widely。 。。。more

Gearóid ，

A pure joy to read。Very refreshing and positive。 A great insight into the life and dedication of this great artist。The art is really beautiful。

Rebecca Tait ，

An open & interesting look not only at Hockney’s art but also his process & relationships。 The friendship between @gayfordmartin & David Hockney really shines throughout this book & allows for a much more conversational feel to the work。 Hockney is such a well known name having created art for decades， but Gayford's insightful book really brought through his personality as it is reflected in his work， but also in their regular chats and emails。 The overwhelming feeling this book gave me was that An open & interesting look not only at Hockney’s art but also his process & relationships。 The friendship between @gayfordmartin & David Hockney really shines throughout this book & allows for a much more conversational feel to the work。 Hockney is such a well known name having created art for decades， but Gayford's insightful book really brought through his personality as it is reflected in his work， but also in their regular chats and emails。 The overwhelming feeling this book gave me was that I would love to visit Hockney in Normandy， share a bottle of wine & a cheese board & listen to him tell stories & share his wealth of knowledge。 However， I don't think he'd thank me for the distraction， his discipline for his work is amazing & he is obviously enjoying his solitude & is prolific in his creations。 Beyond the words this book also includes nearly 300 images， not only works by Hockney spanning his career but also works that have inspired him。 It really is a joy to look through as well as read。 The awareness Hockney has of the world around him & the importance of how he translates that in to images， capturing movement & light is really wonderful to see & read about。 。。。more

Abigail ，

A really accessable account of the the previous few years of Hockney's practice and life。 The author writes in a really engaging and approachable way without making many assumptions on what the reader knows in terms of art history。 All major works discussed are illustrated making the discussion easy to follow。 It's a really inspiring hopeful read， plus the physical book is a manifestation of spring。 A really accessable account of the the previous few years of Hockney's practice and life。 The author writes in a really engaging and approachable way without making many assumptions on what the reader knows in terms of art history。 All major works discussed are illustrated making the discussion easy to follow。 It's a really inspiring hopeful read， plus the physical book is a manifestation of spring。 。。。more

Chris Organ ，

I think you would have to be very interested in Hockney and his art to get the most from this record of conversations between Hockney and Gayford about a relatively narrow range of topics inspired by Spring and Hockney’s new home in Normandy。 I found this a charming and very interesting read 。 A review I read said that the reader felt slightly excluded from the world or conversations of the authors whereas I felt more like a privileged listener - not in the sense of an unwanted bystander straini I think you would have to be very interested in Hockney and his art to get the most from this record of conversations between Hockney and Gayford about a relatively narrow range of topics inspired by Spring and Hockney’s new home in Normandy。 I found this a charming and very interesting read 。 A review I read said that the reader felt slightly excluded from the world or conversations of the authors whereas I felt more like a privileged listener - not in the sense of an unwanted bystander straining to overhear conversations I wasn’t supposed to be privy to but more like an invited guest who wasn’t required or allowed to interrupt。The illustrations were gorgeous and I thoroughly enjoyed the invite especially at this time of year 。。。more

Kathryn ，

A hundred stars。

Mark Little ，

Brimming full of optimism and emergent spring colour。 Martin Gayford， in collaboration with David Hockney， has managed to recreate a series of fascinating conversations and has invited the enthralled reader as a guest。 As a Yorkshireman of firm convictions - not those of the dyed-in-the-wool kind， but largely based upon observation， upon really looking - Hockney takes you， as reader and enthuses you。 These include light， the movement of water and the nature of puddles， via the artist’s studio， W Brimming full of optimism and emergent spring colour。 Martin Gayford， in collaboration with David Hockney， has managed to recreate a series of fascinating conversations and has invited the enthralled reader as a guest。 As a Yorkshireman of firm convictions - not those of the dyed-in-the-wool kind， but largely based upon observation， upon really looking - Hockney takes you， as reader and enthuses you。 These include light， the movement of water and the nature of puddles， via the artist’s studio， Wagner， the Bayeux Tapestry and shadows and many other subjects。 Above all， it is easy to appreciate how Hockney’s innate artistic curiosity has kept our attention and interest for 60 years or more。 A beautifully produced and well-illustrated book， enough to revitalise the laziest eye， to look， look， look。。。 。。。more

Ellie Kakoulli ，

“Spring Cannot be Cancelled” is a joyous and uplifting manifesto that affirms art and nature’s capacity， to not only transform and inspire one isolated artist， living in Normandy’s life， but a whole society as well -especially one that is so presently disconnected from the world around them （shout out again， to that pesky Miss。Rona！）This is a warm， calm and contemplative book that provides a plethora of interesting and insightful conversations between artist， David Hockney and his long time frie “Spring Cannot be Cancelled” is a joyous and uplifting manifesto that affirms art and nature’s capacity， to not only transform and inspire one isolated artist， living in Normandy’s life， but a whole society as well -especially one that is so presently disconnected from the world around them （shout out again， to that pesky Miss。Rona！）This is a warm， calm and contemplative book that provides a plethora of interesting and insightful conversations between artist， David Hockney and his long time friend， collaborator and art critic， Martin Gayford。Each chapter details their often humorous and enlightening exchanges。 Where the two not only reflect on Hockney’s previous work， but the impact this extraordinarily long period of confinement -caused by the 2020 pandemic， has had on his current creative practices。 Which unsurprisingly， he absolutely relished in， and saw this form of self-isolation as an even greater opportunity to dedicate towards his many artistic endeavours！But PLEASE， do not let Hockney’s “productiveness” put you off。As an artist myself reading this， I know it’s so easy to fall into the trap of comparison。 However， the way Hockney describes his approach to work and life is utterly infectious and truly inspiring。 As the book unfurls -much like the cherry blossom he paints， we see just how enamoured and enthusiastic he is by the minutiae of life; the variations of colour， light， space， water and of course， trees！Not only is Hockney teaching us how to see， but he is showing us how to live。 Reminding us to appreciate the seemingly small or insignificant moments and wonders， we so often pass by without giving much of a second thought。“We have lost touch with nature， rather foolishly as we are a part of it， not outside it。”Writing aside for a minute， another MAJOR aspect of this books appeal， is of course the fact that it’s B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L-L-Y illustrated。 Interspersed with not only Hockney’s own gloriously vibrant art， but the paintings， etchings and drawings of those he admires most and continually prove to be a great source of inspiration to him; Van Gogh， Hokusai， Picasso and many more！ （Though disappointingly not many female artists *cough cough*）Overall， this is an immensely enjoyable and life-affirming book。 And one that I would whole heartedly recommend to fellow artists and art enthusiasts alike！ 5 stars 。。。more

Beth Storey ，

Spring Cannot be Cancelled is the second collaboration between art critic and historian Martin Gayford and artist David Hockney。 This book focuses on the time that the authors spent during the first few months of the developing Corona-virus pandemic as it affected Europe in spring 2020。 Their previous book together， A History of Pictures: From the Cave to the Computer Screen， took the form of a back-and-forth conversation between the two and their thoughts about the history of pictures， painting Spring Cannot be Cancelled is the second collaboration between art critic and historian Martin Gayford and artist David Hockney。 This book focuses on the time that the authors spent during the first few months of the developing Corona-virus pandemic as it affected Europe in spring 2020。 Their previous book together， A History of Pictures: From the Cave to the Computer Screen， took the form of a back-and-forth conversation between the two and their thoughts about the history of pictures， paintings， photographs， moving pictures and more。 Readers who enjoyed this format will likely find a great deal to enjoy in this newest publication as well， as there are plenty of conversations between the two and more of the connections that the pair make between different artist’s work。 The difference between the two books is that where A History of Pictures had a broad scope and encompassed pictures and art making from a wide array of mediums through art history， Spring Cannot be Cancelled is very much concerned with the strange time that was spring 2020。 In 2018 Hockney decided to purchase a property in Normandy and that he would paint the arrival of Spring 2019。 The move to the French countryside and the living and working environment that was created there proved to be a recipe for good living and productive art making。 The time spent in the South of France painting the spring blossom and the approach of a new season proved so fruitful that Hockney decided to do the same thing the following year in 2020。 Though he could not have predicted the developments and the changes that this spring would bring， Hockney was situated in an ideal circumstance to continue working and painting and carefully observing the shift in the landscape around him。 Like so many friendships Gayford and Hockney could no longer visit one another in person， so they turned to video calls to supplement their email communications。 There is something rather gratifying reading that one of the world’s most recognisable artists was using Zoom and coping with spotty internet connections like the rest of us。 But unlike so many of us， Hockey kept working， rising early in the morning to paint the sunrise， or waiting till nightfall to watch the supermoons that populated last year’s night skies。Hockney has been working in digital formats， paining on an iPad for many years now and he discusses the advantages that has given him as an artist and how he can react quickly in responding to the changing landscape around him。 Image， perception， and perspective are themes that have interested Hockney throughout his long career and he is still questioning these ideas now。 The book is filled with his thoughts on the limitations of photography and how painting is to him a more accurate and effective form of depiction。 His ideas about art and perception are peppered through the book and give food for thought in a world where many of us carry powerful cameras in our back pocket。 How much do we truly see and perceive as we move about our lives？ Do we look hard and really look at things properly？ The pace of this book is calm and contemplative and amongst the content around art and Hockney’s practice are reflections on how to live and what makes a fulfilling work life balance？ This will surely chime with readers who have spent the past year contemplating this question and wondering what that might look like for ourselves when work and life have blurred。Coupled with the conversational tone and the chance to visit Hockney’s converted farmhouse in the south of France， if only in the mind， made for a hugely enjoyable read。 I personally enjoyed this book immensely and found myself purposefully slowing down so I could spend more time with it。As readers have come to expect from a publisher like Thames and Hudson， the book is beautifully published and is a gorgeous volume to add to one’s shelves。 Full colour reproduction images are printed to support the author’s conversations about art history and Hockney’s own work is reproduced and interspersed throughout， so readers can see the spring blossom and budding leaves unfurl for themselves。I cannot recommend this book highly enough， it is a beautiful， gentle， and contemplative book that soothes the soul and lifts the spirits。Thank you to Thames and Hudson for providing a review copy。 。。。more