David Hockney

I am quite interested in the photo collages of David Hockney. Hockney photographs a single subject from several different viewpoints and then collages them into a composite image. His work is inspired by Cubism but is a much more contemporary way of depicting the disjointed aspects of a Cubist picture. His work reminds us of how the human eye jumps around an image to see the whole picture. 

In my own work I am really interested in the fragmentation of photography/images that Hockney has used in these works. I think the disjointed technique really helps depict the fragmented/distorted nature of memories, and how the mind might jump around parts of the image whilst recalling a memory, as aspects come in and out of focus and different parts of remembered. I also really like the effect of having images of the same subject from different angles, showing the 3-dimensional object on a flat surface. This may help me to create the experience for viewers of actually being there, being inside the memory as if it is your own, rather than looking at a still singular photograph, which I think would make the viewer feel like more of a bystander of someone else's memory. I really want to try and consider the viewer's perspective when I'm creating my work, as I am interested in the idea of 'collective memory' and triggering memories in other people, so need to think carefully about the relationship between art and audience. 

Robert Littman Floating in My Pool - I particularly like this piece as the image is more disjointed than his other works. I think the composition is more interesting, as Hockney has placed two parts of the image on the far right, making the image look disconnected from itself. There is also quite a lot of negative space within the piece. I want to try and use these techniques in my own work as I think it relates really well to memory. Memories are often not a seamless image, and parts are more detailed and a larger scale than others, appearing very fragmented as you recall the memory. Also, the negative space can relate really well to the forgotten parts of the memory; the details that have been completely lost with time.