A Short Biography of David Hockney

Another watery piece featured in our March Masters show from the 1972 Olympics series is this one, by David Hockney. This work by the Englishman, Hockney, showcases his interest during this period in illustrations of human figures and water.

Original Poster by David Hockney Printed in 1972

1937-

David Hockney was born in Yorkshire, England.  As a teenager, he asked to attend art school where he studied traditional painting techniques.  He had a keen interest in photography, and was strongly influenced by American Abstract Impressionists.  In the 1960s, he made his first visit to the US, where he met Andy Warhol.  A few years later, he visited Los Angeles for the first time, and moved there soon after that.  Hockney loved images of water, and images of figures.  For this British boy, all that sunny LA had to offer became his subject matter.  For a time he used Polaroid images and acrylic paints to create his signature sun-drenched style.

Hockney’s pop art style and his obsession with the California lifestyle, so different than that of an Englishmen, characterize his design for the Munich Olympics.

A Short Biography of Josef Albers

As part of our March Masters show (opens this weekend March 17th, 2012), our posts will spotlight various artists of the 1972 Munich Olympics series with short introductions to their lives and work. The first artist we will discuss is Josef Albers, one of the founders of the Bauhaus School in Germany.

Original Josef Albers Olympics Poster Printed 1972

1888-1976

Josef Albers was one of the founders of the Bauhaus school (1919-1933) in Germany.  When the school was closed by the Nazis, he and his wife, painter Annie Albers emigrated to the US.  Albers explored the interaction of color with perception and was one of the first artists to investigate the psychological effects of color and space.

Over the course of his career, Albers taught at Harvard and Yale, painted, made prints, murals and wrote books of poetry as well as books on art.  He was the first living artist to have a solo exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum in New York.

His best known work is “Homage to Squares,” the style of which is represented in his painting created for the Munich Olympics.