Portrait of Nick Wilder ‘Los Angeles 1966 by David Hockney’
Portrait of Nick Wilder is one of the finest of the famous series of California pool paintings that first established Hockney’s international status in the mid – 1960’s.
This picture shows that there was a constant exploration of the relationship between painting and photography. The image seems to be flat because the artist has avoided using shadows on the portrait deliberately to emphasize the effect of the strong sunlight and the flat geometry of the scenery. Hockney has used horizontal lines which extends across the whole image area to define the framing edge. The painting looks as if it is based on a single photograph as Hockney has recorded the image in great detail. Hockney is pointing out that this image is carefully constructed to coordinate patterns of form. The use of close ups makes the viewer feel near to the character in this picture. The artist has created darkness across the background with pin points of light which focus our attention to the character in the swimming pool. The mood of the work is reinforced by the palette of colours Hockney has used in this picture. The blues and greens dominate the picture which creates a balanced atmosphere. The picture gives an impression of sunlight reflecting against the water in this picture which shows that Hockney studied the real light effects out in the open air. On the whole this image has a certain calmness feel due to the way Hockney has represented his style and technique of the less of the bold colours which suit this particular image.
