Thoughts on last year's Hockney show

So, I thought I'd start a blog about the London art scene. There's a lot happening. There's always a lot happening. A lot of trash. A lot of good stuff. My aim is to get out there and check it out. Not always the obvious stuff. And some of the big shows, too. Oh, and lots of opinion, too (mine).

I could start by talking about the Hockney show last year at the Royal Academy. One of the biggest art events in London that year. But was it any good? Well, Hockney's nothing if not a hard worker. Those composite canvases were pretty huge. Dazzling colour. He's a great colourist, that's for sure. Out there in all weather, just like Turner and Van Gogh and Renoir, driven, obsessed, even. But can he draw trees? Alas, no he can't. Dave ain't the greatest draughtsman on the block. He doesn't have a feel for the tangled fluidity of branch-life, the way those limbs taper and twist, the sense of movement, the beauty and balance that's inherent in any tree or plant. Dave's trees have none of this, just clunky, hefty cigar-ish appendages that look not unlike the kind of effort you might see on any primary school wall.

That said, if you choose to ignore that (significant) weakness, and just stand back and let the colour and the splendour wash over you, then, yes, it was pretty impressive. But otherwise, it's back to the drawing board (so to speak). My advice: loosen up on the draughting skills. Those portraits you do: way too finicky and risk-averse. You need a freer, looser approach, get some feeling, some expression into those lines. Want to know how to do it? Tracy Emin has the knack. Or, better still, Frank Auerbach. His rapid-fire sketches of National Gallery treasures on the walls of the National's espresso bar is a master-class on how to express (espress?) yourself powerfully with the simplest of marks and pen-strokes.

More on this in my next blog. 

Cheerio, artsters!

Rob Prince latest artworks