#StaffPicks | David Hockney, Views of Hotel Well II, 1985 -- In 1984, while traveling to an exhibition opening in Mexico City, David Hockney's car broke down and so he was forced to make an impromptu stop at the Hotel Romano Angeles in Acatlan, Mexico. He decided to stay at the hotel while his car was being repaired and while there made some sketches of the colorful hotel architecture and lush courtyard. The artist returned to the hotel later in the year (this time with printer Kenneth Tyler) and began working on a series of lithographs using a new technique developed by Tyler known as the Mylar layering technique. It was portable and allowed the artist to work outside of the print shop. The resulting prints (which are part of the larger Moving Focus series) are a wonderful exploration of perspective and space. Views of Hotel Well II,1985 reads like a concentric circle to my eye with each "layer" seeming to have its own perspective. Starting from the outermost layer, the frame (designed by the artist), initially grounds the work in a single dimension as if we were looking at it straight on. Moving inward to the veranda, the viewpoint shifts as if looking at once both left and right down the corridors. The perspective shifts again as you go deeper into the vegetation which is rendered from a bird's eye view. And finally, the well at the center of the composition seen in-the-round from multiple angles. The combination of experimental perspective and striking colors make for a wholly attractive and inventive piece. –Sang Lee, Special Projects -- Artwork info: David Hockney, Views of Hotel Well II, from Moving Focus, 1985, lithograph in hand-painted frame designed by the artist, 25 1/4 x 32 1/8 inches, edition of 75, signed and numbered -- #hockney #davidhockney #movingfocus #printmaking #kentyler #kennethtyler #tylergraphics #arthistory #lsg #lesliesacksgallery #hotelwell #hotel #acatlan #mexico #mexicocity #britishartist #britishart #british #perspective #concentric #viewpoint #design #framing #halloween (at Leslie Sacks Gallery)
