David Hockey London Underground Commision - 2021, Various sizes, Medium: MS Paint - How can any sane """artist""" defend this?

[SERFnTERF]

David Hockney has been commisioned to redesign various signs used on the London Underground. Something that is visually iconic within the realms of both graphic design and UK tourism.

He's been using the iPad's version of MS Paint for some time now. No idea why. Contemporary Art practices are veering more towards digital formats/mediums (although no, I'm sorry but your manga-esque OC is not """art""") but Hockney's work as of late as been akin to Care Home Art Therapy sponsored by Apple.

How is this okay? How does this communicate anything even remotely relevent to London, the Tube or even any other message hidden within?

I can't see much else other than:

Which I'm sure wasn't Hockney's intention.

Was just curious if this was on any other KF user's radar and what they thought about it.

 

[Beautiful Border]

What makes this even stranger is that David Hockney can be a good artist when he wants to be, some of his paintings are genuinely good. I can only conclude it's deliberately supposed to look half-assed, intended to stroke the egos of art critics rather than be appealing to the general public that has to actually look at it on a daily basis.

 

[SERFnTERF]

What makes this even stranger is that David Hockney can be a good artist when he wants to be, some of his paintings are genuinely good. I can only conclude it's deliberately supposed to look half-assed, intended to stroke the egos of art critics rather than be appealing to the general public that has to actually look at it on a daily basis.

I understand that Contemporary Art is more about context than content/concept. But what context am I missing here?
From my own experiences, people in the Contemperary Art bubble are scared to call bad Art for what it is, because it doesn't adhere to the narrative of pretending to know what the fuck you're talking about. In reality, nobody knows what the fuck they're talking about - just use big words and talk very vaguely around a topic, fence sit and you'll be golden.

If Hockney wasn't Hockey, there is no way this would slide.
And it's that exact premise that frustrates me.

 

[Coolio55]

How much money was he paid?
Is this what's going to be the new universal artstyle after flat pozdeco/bauhaus is considered too expensive?

 

[Beautiful Border]

But what context am I missing here?

If I had to guess, it's responding to a common criticism of modern art - "a child could draw that!" - by literally looking like a child drew it. In other words, it's trolling.

 

[DumbDude42]

although no, I'm sorry but your manga-esque OC is not """art"""

spergy teenagers anime fanart is more """art""" than most modern art tbh

 

[SERFnTERF]

spergy teenagers anime fanart is more """art""" than most modern art tbh

I'm sorry but illustrating hairy wolf tits doesn't exactly harness history, politics, emotion, social narrative or anthropology IMO.

 

[R00T]

What’s the artistic significance of the S being below the rest of the letters?

 

[SERFnTERF]

What’s the artistic significance of the S being below the rest of the letters?

I can only assume that it aims to resemble what @Beautiful Border mentioned:

If I had to guess, it's responding to a common criticism of modern art - "a child could draw that!" - by literally looking like a child drew it. In other words, it's trolling.

 

[DumbDude42]

I'm sorry but illustrating hairy wolf tits doesn't exactly harness history, politics, emotion, social narrative or anthropology IMO.

hairy wolf tits and coldsteel the hedgeheg have a better claim to being art than this lol

 

[SERFnTERF]

hairy wolf tits and coldsteel the hedgeheg have a better claim to being art than this lol
View attachment 2191273

You're referencing technical skill, right? Because I can't argue against that.
But in terms of contributing to Arts & Culture - both are self-serving gratification.

You can like Hockney's recent submission because you're an elitist shitmouth.
You can like hairy wolf tits because you're a degenerate.

Hitler sympathist or CCP shill?
Apples and oranges.

 

[Solid Snek]

What’s the artistic significance of the S being below the rest of the letters?

Are you asking "what is the artist's intent", or "what is a general audience likely to make of it", or "what is an art critic likely to make of it"?

I am not familiar with Hockney and could only guess at what Hockney's intention could be. However, I think that OP is on to something; the colour scheme is probably a reference to UKIP, and if so, I'm thinking of two meanings:

• First, "Circus". It's not just the name of the tube station, it could also be calling attention to the idea of a Circus as a wild, obscene, clownish place - and this particular UKIP circus is falling apart.
• Also, it could signify the breaking away of Britain from Europe - the US becomes a rapidly-falling S.

Or maybe Hockney just ran out of out of space and said fuck it?


-edit- ooooooh, ok. I just looked him up; he's the guy who came up with (or at least popularized?) the "Renaissance camera obscura" hypothesis. He's also a zillionaire globalist foundation shill on par with Koons, so it's almost certainly a dig at UKIP.

I still like the piece, tho. Makes me lol.

 

[DumbDude42]

You're referencing technical skill, right? Because I can't argue against that.
But in terms of contributing to Arts & Culture - both are self-serving gratification.

You can like Hockney's recent submission because you're an elitist shitmouth.
You can like hairy wolf tits because you're a degenerate.

Hitler sympathist or CCP shill?
Apples and oranges.

"contributing to arts & culture" aka the contemporary art scene and assorted decadent faglords sucking their own dicks lmao

if you show this picture by itself to anybody without mentioning that it's made by some famous "artist", will they still recognize it as "art"? no they won't, because it holds no artistic value in and of itself. the only thing making it "art" is the fact that the guy who made it is good at networking with the art scene, that's all.

 

[SERFnTERF]

if you show this picture by itself to anybody without mentioning that it's made by some famous "artist", will they still recognize it as "art"?

No, they wouldn't. And that's the point of me making this thread.
But equally, if you show me Sonic X Princess Peach Rule 34, I'd say the same thing.

Both contribute nothing. So neither is more valid than the other.

@Solid Snek
I am not familiar with Hockney and could only guess at what Hockney's intention could be. However, I think that OP is on to something; the colour scheme is probably a reference to UKIP, and if so, I'm thinking of two meanings:

• First, "Circus". It's not just the name of the tube station, it could also be calling attention to the idea of a Circus as a wild, obscene, clownish place - and this particular UKIP circus is falling apart.
• Also, it could signify the breaking away of Britain from Europe - the US becomes a rapidly-falling S.

Or maybe Hockney just ran out of out of space and said fuck it?

Hockney isn't living under a rock and must be aware of the associations made with the colour palette he chose for this. He has to be surrounded with White Cube Yes Men who would've mentioned this - but he still went ahead with it?

Also, the dropped S has to be intentional. You can even see a white dot (possible a full-stop) where the "S." originally was in-line. Hockey purposely chose to drop it.
To intentionally make it look like Whoops, I ran out of room, LOL! ?

 

[SIGSEGV]

I'm sorry but illustrating hairy wolf tits doesn't exactly harness history, politics, emotion, social narrative or anthropology IMO.

Furry wolf tits are anthropomorphic you fucking retard.

 

[R00T]

Are you asking "what is the artist's intent", or "what is a general audience likely to make of it", or "what is an art critic likely to make of it"?

I am not familiar with Hockney and could only guess at what Hockney's intention could be. However, I think that OP is on to something; the colour scheme is probably a reference to UKIP, and if so, I'm thinking of two meanings:

• First, "Circus". It's not just the name of the tube station, it could also be calling attention to the idea of a Circus as a wild, obscene, clownish place - and this particular UKIP circus is falling apart.
• Also, it could signify the breaking away of Britain from Europe - the US becomes a rapidly-falling S.

Or maybe Hockney just ran out of out of space and said fuck it?


-edit- ooooooh, ok. I just looked him up; he's the guy who came up with (or at least popularized?) the "Renaissance camera obscura" hypothesis. He's also a zillionaire globalist foundation shill on par with Koons, so it's almost certainly a dig at UKIP.

I still like the piece, tho. Makes me lol.

A much more in-depth answer than I expected! I appreciate your insight. I literally thought it was just some Ringo Starr esque Ms Paint is difficult thing but now you’ve made me change my mind.
You’ve earned the title of art critic.

 

[Solid Snek]

No, they wouldn't. And that's the point of me making this thread.
But equally, if you show me Sonic X Princess Peach Rule 34, I'd say the same thing.

Both contribute nothing. So neither is more valid than the other.

Well, they contribute nothing to you. But Sonic X Peach contributes boners to a million degenerates, and this Picadilly Circus piece probably contributed a few million quid to Hockney's bank account, so it's not like these things are universally non-contributive.

Are you saying that art is strictly subjective?

A much more in-depth answer than I expected! I appreciate your insight. I literally thought it was just some Ringo Starr esque Ms Paint is difficult thing but now you’ve made me change my mind.
You’ve earned the title of art critic.

Hockney's too smart to be dumb. Or maybe he's just old and lazy and knows he can get away with it now? Truly the mind of a master artist is unfathomable.

Furry wolf tits are anthropomorphic you fucking retard.

 

[Megaroad 2012]

OP is just trying to flex that expensive art degree.

 

[SERFnTERF]

Are you saying that art is strictly subjective?

Sometimes it's really hard to know when to not just discredit everything I read on KF as shitposting.

 

[Solid Snek]

Sometimes it's really hard to know when to not just discredit everything I read on KF as shitposting.

Assume it's not. I don't know what your position is, and would like to understand it better.

Are you saying that art is subjective, and needs to contribute something to its audience (who will then subjectively deem a piece to be "art" or "not art", based on their own experience of the piece)?

Or do you believe that art has a concrete, universal, objective purpose, which neither Picadilly Circus nor Sonic X Peach fulfill?