As part of The National Gallery's bicentennial celebrations, it is highlighting the role it plays in the formation of contemporary artists by introducing them to their predecessors. David Hockney has previously referred to the profound influence that the work of Piero della Francesca has had on him, noting particularly the master's The Baptism of Christ (1437-1445) which is part of The National Gallery's collection. This small exhibition creates a triptych which brings together Piero's work with two of Hockney's pieces which reference it: Looking at Pictures on a Screen (1977) and My Parents (1977). The former shows Hockney's friend, the curator Henry Geldzahler staring intently at reproductions of various artworks and invites viewers to do a similar close reading of the pictures which are in front them. The next piece is Piero's extraordinary Baptism which shows Christ assuming his role as saviour of mankind. The painting can almost be divided into thirds with Jesus in the middle flanked by representations of his two-sided nature, the angelic/divine on the right and on the left, his humanity as represented by John the Baptist and another man in the background who will also soon be baptised. Hockney's gloss on this work is My Parents (1977) which has a vase of tulips, perhaps representing the beauty of nature and a mirror as the focal point, objects which suggest the role of the artist and which are between Hockney's mother who may recall his nurturing home and his father who is intently studying an art magazine, the two formative influences of heart and head that inform the artistic nature. However, whatever interpretation one might draw from these particular works, this is a show that ingeniously affirms the importance of maintaining a cultural tradition by showing how the work of two artists, although generations apart, can create a dialogue enriching their creations and all of us.
Rated: ★★★★★
Reviewed by J.C.
Image: David Hockney (born 1937), My Parents, 1977, Tate, purchased 1981 © David Hockney. Photo: Tate, London
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