Garrowby Hill by David Hockney Painting Analysis
The name of the artist who created this artwork is David Hockney. The artwork is an oil painting on canvas. The name of the painting is “Garrowby Hill”. It was created in 1998. Some major events in history that occurred in 1998 were: Google was founded, the iMac was released, the film “Titanic” won 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture at the Oscars, and President Bill Clinton was impeached. Some objects that can be seen in this painting are a road, hills, trees, pastures, soil, and streams. The first thing I noticed when I looked at this painting was the winding road going through the countryside. I think the road stood out to me first because of how it is shaped almost like a snake, placed in the center, and it is a different color from the rest of the painting. In this painting, the main colors I see are green, yellow, blue, brown, and gray. Green is the natural color of plant leaves and grass. Yellow is the color of some grass, crops, and sunlight. Blue is the color of the streams and the sky. Brown is the color of the soil and tree bark. Gray is the color of the road. So, gray is the only color that is not naturally there because the road is man-made. Besides color, there are many irregular shapes with round and wavy edges which make the outline of hills, streams, tree foliage, and the road. There are also some geometric shapes like rectangles, triangles, and trapezoids with straighter edges which make the outline of the land plots in the distance. These shapes are separated from one another by mainly curved and straight lines. One particular straight line is the skyline in the background which separates the field from the sky (weebly). The lines and brush strokes we see in the painting also allow the texture to be apparent. The road seems to have a smooth, shiny texture. The tree bark has a rough, jagged texture. The tree foliage has a leafy, varied texture. The soil has a smooth, furrowed texture. The clearly visible texture, light hues, and bright warm colors indicate that it is most likely daytime. Overall, the visual effect is natural and glowing. This painting creates a calm, peaceful, and content mood.
Hockney has used the colors in balance to show the many aspects of nature in the countryside and how they are in harmony. This harmony can be seen with the blue sky, green plants, brown soil, and gray road. The colors have the effect of bringing the painting to life and making the audience notice the beauty of nature. The artist has used shapes to outline and make boundaries between aspects of nature. The position and size of the shapes also create the impression of depth in the painting. The tapering of the road and forest shows that how far away in the distance they are from our viewpoint. Lines have been used for making the edge of shapes like the road and land plots and creating texture. The texture is used to make nature more realistic by giving us a visual idea of how the soil or leaves may feel like if we were touching them. Hockney uses various brush strokes, shades, and layers to create the illusion of texture. As it is a canvas oil painting, some texture may even be possible to feel if we touch the canvas. Hockney creates light and the absence of light in the painting by using lighter and darker shades of colors. For example, there are darker shades of color in between trees of the forest implying darkness and shadows. In contrast, there are lighter and brighter shades of color in the field below showing that sunlight is shining down there. All the visual elements combine and balance each other nicely to make the scenery look realistic and aesthetically appealing. The overall visual effect takes the person to the countryside setting and creates a relaxed mood. Hockney’s design tools make each part of the painting stand out especially with the colors being vibrant, saturated, and highly contrasted with each other.
David Hockney’s artistic statement through this painting was to display the beautiful countryside of Yorkshire, England where he grew up. He especially loved the landscape of a particular location in Yorkshire called Garrowby Hill near his mother’s house which his painting is based on. He made the painting in his studio from memory when he came back home to visit his terminally ill friend. I think this painting means a lot to Hockney because it shows his nostalgic feelings for his birthplace which he loves so dearly and he missed so much when he moved to the US. It can also mean that we should appreciate the beauty of nature and the countryside. I think that is what it means to me or most others when they look at this painting. We should not be so consumed with our lives that we cannot take time to appreciate the simple beauty of nature and the countryside. After learning the history behind why Hockney created this painting, I also related it to my life and how I always love my childhood home. We should all never forget that special place where we grew up and had so many of our first memories. When I look at this artwork, I feel amazed by the beauty and I yearn to visit the place it depicts. Furthermore, I think the road in the painting is a symbol of life itself. It shows that life is not a straightforward journey. We have to go through many twists and turns and ups and downs. But overall, I think Hockney created this artwork to honor his birthplace, mother, and friend. I think Hockney made the artistic decision to work on an oil canvas because it is easier to work and mix colors, create texture, and make changes due to the long drying time of oil paints. I think these are all important to accurately portray such a wide landscape.
I think the intrinsic value of the work is how beautiful the scenery and landscape of the countryside look. This artwork may have a benefit in this modern age to convince people that the countryside is actually much more beautiful than the city. Hockney himself made this painting and many natural paintings after he had been living in Los Angeles for years. Perhaps he realized the true value of nature and wanted to communicate to everyone that we should be more appreciative of nature’s beauty. I think this painting could have a relaxing and therapeutic effect on others who look at it. I do not think this painting lacks value or worth at all because it is well made artistically and has a nice natural theme. Some people may prefer city landscapes over this but I do not think anyone would find it displeasing to look at. I personally have no negative perception of this painting. Overall, I think this painting is excellent and I think Hockney did a fantastic job in displaying the landscape so beautifully and colorfully.
