David Hockney's Eye - A Tribute

David Hockney always used to say that to be a great artist you need the eye, the hand and the heart. And of course he had all three. But I’m really going to miss his eye. No one could talk about art like he could.

His deconstruction of this sketch by Rembrandt is a masterclass in economy. There are lessons here not just for artists, but writers, designers, directors and creatives of all kinds ...

‘The child is being held by her mother and older sister. The mother grips the child firmly, the sister more hesitantly, and Rembrandt observes her looking at the child’s face to see how anxious she is. The lines of her shoulders beautifully indicate this; Rembrandt even turned his pen round and scratched through the ink to emphasise it. It makes me see the child’s face, a hint of worry in it, indicated only by one or two faint marks. The trace of Rembrandt’s hand is still alive. Your eye can go back and forth between brown ink: sister; fast mark: mother. How rewarding this is, to move from the physical surface of the paper to its disappearance when you read the “subject”, and then back again. How many marvellous layers does this drawing have? The mother has a double profile, Picassoesque. Both profiles are fascinating about her character. Her skirt is a bit ragged, without any real detail; one seems to know this, and then marvels at how these few lines suggest it. Then, there’s a passing milkmaid, perhaps glancing at a very common scene, and we know the milk pail is full. You can sense the weight. Rembrandt perfectly and economically indicates this with – what? Six marks, the ones indicating her outstretched arm. Very few people could get near this. It is a perfect drawing.’

RIP David. You’ll be missed.