David Hockney (British, B. 1937)
“French Shop” – 1971
Etching and aquatint in colors, on BFK Rives paper. Pencil signed, dated (’71) and numbered (XXXIX/LX AP) lower margin.
Literature:
– Scottish Arts Council 122
– Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo 112
Image Size: 21 1/8 x 17 7/8 in.
Overall Framed Size: 42 x 38 in.
Framed behind glass.
David Hockney’s 1971 French Shop depicts the exterior of a small local food shop in Miers, in the Dordogne region of southwest France, drawn from life while the artist was there to visit a small spa. Hockney depicts a homely, matter-of-fact building, with darkened windows and isometric edges assuming the whole composition. Printed in monochrome, we are made aware of Hockney’s assiduous eye for detail and masterful handling of various techniques. The face of the shop is subsumed in a grey tone fashioned through precise cross-hatching, in front of which Hockney renders a plant with delicate delineation. Contrasted with the hollow darkness of the aquatint windows, Hockney brings to life the otherwise ordinary building through different layering of techniques, creating texture within the ashen greys.