“I love new mediums. . . . I think mediums can turn you on, they can excite you: they always let you do something in a different way, even if you take the same subject.” In 2008, Hockney turned to Photoshop. At the same time, he began working on a smaller scale with the new technology provided by the iPhone and then the iPad. He employed the screen like a sketchbook, as a window with infinite possibilities for color and mark-making. He started out drawing with the side of his thumb, then took up the stylus when it became available. In 2012, Hockney made at least one digital self-portrait every day over the course of twenty days, exploring character types and facial expressions in a manner reminiscent of Rembrandt’s early self-portrait prints.
Artwork: © David Hockney