Designs With Depth

When Hockney first visited Betty Freeman’s house in California, he planned to ask if he could make a painting of her pool. But the way the interior and exterior spaces of her home blended together captivated him. “I’d never seen homes like that,” he later said. His 1966 Beverly Hills Housewife, above, depicts Freeman and explores the spaces both inside and outside her home.

Hockney painted the house on two canvases, creating a horizontal 6-by-12- foot-wide composition. It echoes the long, low arrangement of the modern home. Geometric shapes divide the scene into the foreground (closest to the viewer), the middle ground, and the background (furthest from the viewer). Thin diagonal lines show light reflecting on glass walls.

As you look at each section of the composition, ask: Are you looking across the patio? Through a window? At a reflection? Is the space inside or outside the house? Hockney creates a sense of mystery about the home and those who live there.

In the 1960s, Hockney visited Betty Freeman’s house in California. The way the indoor and outdoor spaces seemed to blend together fascinated him. “I’d never seen homes like that,” said Hockney. He painted Freeman in the home in his 1966 Beverly Hills Housewife, above.

Hockney painted on two large square canvases to create a horizontal scene. This shows off the long, low look of Freeman’s modern home. The scene has a foreground (area closest to the viewer), middle ground, and background (area farthest from the viewer). Geometric shapes divide the scene. Diagonal lines show light on the glass walls.

Look at each section of the work. Are you looking across the patio? Through a window? At a reflection? Is the space inside or outside? Hockney creates a sense of mystery about the space in the painting.

The bright colors Hockney began using in California became even more intense in his paintings of the Grand Canyon. In his 1998 The Grand Canyon, above, Hockney explores how people absorb a scene as vast as this iconic American landscape. “It’s about the only place on Earth that really makes you look in every direction,” the artist explains.

Hockney painted The Grand Canyon on a grid of 21 canvases. The panoramic work is more than 14 feet across—echoing the canyon’s massive scale. A thin strip of blue sky at the top of the composition also emphasizes the canyon’s endlessly horizontal quality.

Hockney adds texture to the areas in the foreground, showing that they’re closer to the viewer. He renders the contours of the canyon in the background with subtler highlights and shadows, creating the illusion of depth.

The Grand Canyon’s large size is part of what makes it a famous American landscape. Hockney’s 1998 The Grand Canyon, above, explores how people take in such a huge scene. “It’s about the only place on Earth that really makes you look in every direction,” the artist explains.

Hockney painted The Grand Canyon on a grid of 21 canvases. It’s more than 14 feet wide. These details capture the canyon’s massive size.

Hockney adds texture to the foreground. This shows that it’s closer to the viewer. He paints the contours of the canyon in the background with highlights and shadows. This creates the illusion of depth in the scene.

As you look at the painting above, do you feel compelled to walk to the left or the right? To make his 2017 A Bigger Interior with Blue Terrace and Garden, Hockney cut the corners off the canvas.

Hockney stylizes the space beyond the terrace, suggesting a lush garden with just a few simplified plants and abstract textures. The greenery fades into the background when juxtaposed with, or placed next to, the light- and dark-blue lines of the walkway and ceiling. These leading lines guide the viewer’s eye to a focal point at each end of the terrace—which is how viewers would see the space if they were really standing there.

The hexagonal-shaped canvas provides a clear path for the viewer’s eye to follow, creating the feeling of movement. Hockney says he didn’t take away any corners—rather he added them!

Do you feel like you could walk into the 2017 work above? That’s because of how Hockney composed it. He cut the corners off the canvas to give the scene shape.

The painting is called A Bigger Interior with Blue Terrace and Garden. Hockney depicts the garden with simple textures. It fades into the background next to the terrace’s defined walkway and ceiling. The light- and dark-blue leading lines guide the viewer’s eye to a focal point at each end of the terrace. This is how viewers would see the space if they were standing there. The shaped canvas provides a path for the eye to follow, adding movement to the scene.