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Spring Cannot be Cancelled
David Hockney in Normandy - A SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
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Check link for latest rating. ( 1,270 ratings, 174 reviews)
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Format: Hardback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
If you're drawn to the interplay between art and life, this book offers inspiring conversations and reflections. It captures the essence of creativity during challenging times, with vivid pictorial features and personal insights from a renowned artist. This exploration into the creative process may appeal to those who value the beauty of art and nature.
David Hockney reflects upon life and art as he journeys through lockdown in rural Normandy.
David Hockney reflects upon life and art as he experiences lockdown in rural Normandy
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
still learning, it may not be perfect - your
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Description
A SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
"We have lost touch with nature, rather foolishly as we are a part of it, not outside it. This will in time be over and then what? What have we learned?... The only real things in life are food and love, in that order, just like [for] our little dog Ruby... and the source of art is love. I love life." – David Hockney
Spring Cannot be Cancelled is not so much a celebration of spring as a springboard for ideas about art, space, time, and light. It is scholarly, thoughtful, and provoking. – The Times
Lavishly illustrated... Gayford is a thoughtfully attentive critic with a capacious frame of reference. – Guardian
Hockney and Gayford's exchanges are infused with their deep knowledge of the history of art... This is a charming book, and ideal for lockdown because it teaches you to look harder at the things around you. – Lynn Barber, The Spectator
Designed to underscore Hockney's original message of hope, and to further explore how art can gladden and invigorate... meanders amiably from Rembrandt, to the pleasure principle, andouillette sausages and, naturally, to spring. – Daily Telegraph
On turning eighty, David Hockney sought out rustic tranquillity for the first time: a place to watch the sunset and the change of the seasons; a place to keep the madness of the world at bay. So when Covid-19 and lockdown struck, it made little difference to life at La Grande Cour, the centuries-old Normandy farmhouse where Hockney set up a studio a year before, in time to paint the arrival of spring. In fact, he relished the enforced isolation as an opportunity for even greater devotion to his art.
Spring Cannot be Cancelled is an uplifting manifesto that affirms art's capacity to divert and inspire. It is based on a wealth of new conversations and correspondence between Hockney and the art critic Martin Gayford, his long-time friend and collaborator. Their exchanges are illustrated by a selection of Hockney's new, unpublished Normandy iPad drawings and paintings alongside works by van Gogh, Monet, Bruegel, and others.
We see how Hockney is propelled ever forward by his infectious enthusiasms and sense of wonder. A lifelong contrarian, he has been in the public eye for sixty years, yet remains entirely unconcerned by the view of critics or even history. He is utterly absorbed by his four acres of northern France and by the themes that have fascinated him for decades: light, colour, space, perception, water, trees. He has much to teach us, not only about how to see... but about how to live.
With 142 illustrations in colour
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Spring Cannot be Cancelled has been praised for its engaging conversations between David Hockney and Martin Gayford, noted for their insightful exploration of art, history, and their shared love for nature and culture. The book, beautifully illustrated, provides a thoughtful reflection on the power of art and nature to offer hope and rejuvenation in challenging times, making it particularly resonant during the pandemic. The dynamic exchange between Hockney's vivid artistic vision and Gayford's insightful prose creates a rich tapestry that celebrates creativity, life, and the beauty found in everyday observations. Critics have lauded its ability to blend scholarly insight with accessible musings, rendering it both informative and inspiring.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780500094365
Publisher: Thames & Hudson Ltd
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 25 March 2021
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Thames & Hudson Ltd
Illustration: 142 Illustrations
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Width: 152.0mm
Height: 229.0mm
Weight: 800g
Pages: 280
About the Author
David Hockney is perhaps the most critically acclaimed artist of our age. He has produced work in almost every medium and has stretched the boundaries of all of them. His bestselling Secret Knowledge: Rediscovering the lost techniques of the Old Masters is also published by Thames & Hudson, as are his previous books in partnership with Martin Gayford: A Bigger Message and A History of Pictures. Martin Gayford is art critic for the Spectator. His books include Modernists & Mavericks, Man with a Blue Scarf, A Bigger Message, Rendez-vous with Art (with Philippe de Montebello), A History of Pictures (with David Hockney), and, most recently, The Pursuit of Art, all published by Thames & Hudson.
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