Hockney invites budding artists to find joys of spring in lockdown
Locked down in France, the British artist David Hockney has been sitting in the garden of his Normandy home drawing the blossoming of spring. The cherry and other fruit trees, the hawthorns and blackthorns, all feature in his works, famously created on his iPad.
Now Hockney, 82, is the inspiration for a competition to encourage young and old to create an image that captures the season and to lift coronavirus lockdown spirits.
The idea for Hope in Spring: draw like Hockney came from another Briton abroad, Ruth Mackenzie, artistic director of the Châtelet theatre in Paris, former director of Scottish Opera and the Nottingham Playhouse as well as the London 2012 Festival of the Olympic Games.
After receiving a letter from Hockney,
who was sending works to his friends, Mackenzie suggested a tie-in with the competition.
“I asked David if he would consider doing something for French people in lockdown needing a touch of solidarity and he very generously sent us one of his works exclusively and shared another nine with us and agreed to do this brilliant competition to inspire and spark some joy,” Mackenzie said.
“It just seemed a lovely idea to share his fantastic spirit of optimism and hope and colour. Hopefully it will inspire people all around the world.”
The theatre is organising the competition with France Inter radio and the Centre Pompidou in Paris, which held a major Hockney retrospective in 2017.
Another British artist, Grayson Perry, has been helping people through the lockdown with his Channel 4 show Grayson’s Art Club in which he creates works and talks to guests. He has also invited members of the public to send in their lockdown art.
Hockney has been isolation with his dog Ruby and long-standing assistants, JP (Jean-Pierre Gonçalves de Lima) and Jonathan (Wilkinson). In his letter to Mackenzie, accompanied by a picture of some daffodils entitled Do remember they can’t cancel the Spring, Hockney wrote:
“We came back to Normandy on 2 March and I began drawing these gaunt trees on my iPad. Since the virus hit, we are locked down.
“Many [people] tell me these drawings offer respite at this testing time … they are testament to the cycle of life which begins here with the birth of spring … Idiots that we are, we have lost our link with nature even though we are part of it completely. All of this will end one day. What lessons will we learn?
“I’m 82, I’m going to die. We die because we are born. The only things that matter in life are food and love, in that order, and also our little dog Ruby. I truly believe this, and for me, the basis of art is love. I love life.”
The Châtelet, like all French theatres, has been closed since 17 March when the lockdown began and does not know when it will reopen. However, it has been organising cultural events on line and through its magazine Tchat!
Mackenzie added: “The role of culture in this difficult time is to unite us around our shared emotions and give us hope for the world to come. That’s what David is doing by offering us this exceptional gift. His letter is so clear sighted about death and he says things we all need to understand.
“He is very respected and loved in France and rightly so, but it isn’t always the case with English artists.”
Hockney moved to Normandy last year saying he was attracted to the landscape that offered a broader range of blossoms, with apple, cherry, pear and plum trees as well as the hawthorn and blackthorn he has painted in the past.
In an interview with the Guardian last month, Hockney urged people to draw during the lockdown. “I would suggest they really look hard at something and think about what they are really seeing,” he said.
Entries for Hope in Spring: draw like Hockney can be sent to hockneyprintemps@sabir.paris or posted on social media with the hashtag #HockneyPrintemps
The deadline for entries is 21 June and 10 winning drawings will be selected from the three partner organisations in the event: the Châtelet theatre, France Inter radio and the Centre Pompidou and put on display