David Hockney has to be one of the most famous living artists. His work is in every major modern art museum and verging on 80 he is still going strong, having embraced the iPad as a new medium for his vast body of work. This latest documentary about him (there have been several others) takes an exhaustive look at his life and work, but failed to pull me in. And at nearly two hours I think the filmmaker included a lot of footage that could easily have been left out and made a more focused film.
Of course what we want to see when we view a film about an artist is the art, and there are many scenes of Hockney painting or people explaining his paintings in context of their time and place and political meaning. And those scenes sing. Those and the ones that show the contrast of his bleak British upbringing to his sun-filled, adopted Los Angeles life. But there are way too many scenes that seem like filler, and the way the film jumps about in time makes it hard to see the connections that the filmmaker seems to be trying to make. 
Hockney is not a must see doumentary. For those who already know about Hockney, it doesn’t add a lot of new info. For those unfamiliar with his life or work, it offers a mish-mash of voices and stories. I felt like there was story in there that was missed somehow. What the film does more than anything else is make you want to go to the nearest art museum or gallery and view a bunch of this talented and prolific artist’s work. Here’s a link to his upcoming exhibitions.
I had never heard of David Hockney, so this film was probably as good an introduction as any, even though it’s too long and draggy in sections, and his paintings and photos still don’t particularly appeal to me. I doubt many non-fans will see or seek it out. But for those who do know and appreciate Hockney and his art, the film does offer some interesting insights into his personal journey and his craft.