It is a pleasant sensation when you open a paper and see art shows in the news. For this alone I am grateful to David Hockney whose show at the Royal Achademy opened yesterday and, apparently has sold out for months ahead. What a joy to see folk taking time to go see a mans drawings. The papers, the critics need an angle. This saddens me. Does there need to be so much judgement? He enjoys looking at the Yorkshire countryside and painting it, that is enough for me.
Damien Hirst has his show at the various global Gargosians. A retrospective of his spot paintings. Critics try to draw a thread where there is none. Like asking is opera better than football. Hirsts graphic medicated charts are optical joy for me, Hockneys do contribute to the history of looking. I like an artist that dare position themself in historic context and not appear vainglorious.
And they both grew up near to each other. Hockney in Bradford, Hirst in Leeds. Why does this part of the country produce so many good visual artists? I have touched on this before. Manchester and Liverpool produce music, Leeds and Bradford visual artists.
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