Gregory Evans

With minimum text, the introduction takes just one page, and the introduction to each of its four sections barley half a page each, `Hockney's Pictures' is aptly titled. The introduction explains the aim of each section: `Problems of Depiction', `Life Stilled', `Portraits' and `Space and Light', and then allows the pictures to provide the answers along with the occasional brief and down to earth comment from Hockney himself alongside the relevant picture.

This is a carefully designed volume; the almost square format comfortably accommodates both landscape and portrait proportions, the images are presented imaginatively on the page with a varied layout which manages to avoid being confusing. Many of the images are full page with some presented as full page bleed and some occasionally crossing the gutter. Each picture is given its title and date; the additional details of size and medium are to be found in a separate list at the back of the book. The book describes itself as having "325 illustrations, 277 in colour"; however this is slightly unfair for as far as I can tell the 48 black and white images comprise pencil or charcoal drawings, etchings and the like which in themselves are monochrome.

This is what an art book should be, full to the brim with images which, along with occasional comment from the artist, are allowed to speak for themselves.… (mehr)