A closer winter tunnel, February-March

In 2005, David Hockney returned to his native Yorkshire and undertook a series of landscape paintings. 'A closer winter tunnel, February-March' 2006 was the first of his multiple canvas paintings. This 6 part painting was painted not in the studio but entirely on the spot with Hockney moving from one canvas to another, assembling the units together to see the overall effect as a very large picture. “For this painting, David employed a digital photographic reproduction technique that allowed him to study, as the work evolved, the assembled image of the painting in the studio prior to each new day’s work in the landscape. He even made marks directly onto each paper collage, thereby providing himself with a fresh starting point for that morning’s painting activity.”1

It is indicative of Hockney’s maturity and skill that this work is painted so vividly and freshly and with such emotional clarity; there are no detectable signs of revision or hesitation. This series of marvellously dramatic landscapes, highly charged with Hockney’s now characteristic strong colours have absolute credibility and emotional commitment. It is as though he was no longer searching for a subject but feeding of necessity off his early life and experience.

1. Peter Goulds, 'Foreword' in ‘David Hockney: the East Yorkshire landscape', LA Louver, Venice CA 2007, p8