This summer I read “Life of David Hockney: A Novel” by Catherine Cusset in a rainforest bookshop.
It was translated into English from French by Teresa Lavender Fagan.
Here are some of my favourite works of his with quotes from the book that stood out to me:
“He had to be patient and have confidence. The feeling of failure was part of the creative process. Every artist – painter, musician, writer – knew this.”
“Her childlike innocence seemed to her son the most precious thing in the world. Only a child looked at the world in that way, without being distracted by the stupid preoccupations of adults. Only a child observed ants that gathered crumbs, ladybugs, drops of water falling on leaves, puddles, and stones.”
“If he no longer sought to create a great painting, but simply painted what mattered to him. He would be closer to the truth and to life.”
“I’m very conscious of all that has happened in art during the last seventy-five years. I don’t ignore it; I feel I’ve tried to assimilate it into my kind of art.”
David Hockney
