iPaintings

I find it fascinating to see what technology can add to an artist's skills, but in the case of David Hockney and his iPad, I'm happy to share the point of view that it's crap.

The English photographer and painter has slowly lost my interest, with these compositions being the low point. His past photo-collage work is simply stunning:

...but as a painter, he's slowly lost lost the magic in his pop art style:

50s

60s

70s

80s

90s

00s

Those last ones were from his iPad, part of a collection of over 300 in exhibition in Paris.  That is the benefit of fame - to get your computer doodles into shows based on your name.  That's the kind of average crap you're likely to see in a hipster coffee shop or student exhibition.

While the artist has been using technology to assist him for decades (including early graphics programs and "FAX art"), his embrace of the benefits outweigh their return: "The iPad's backlight lets you paint at any time of day, the app's color wheel provides every pigment, and its very nature renders set-up and clean-up obsolete".   That may be true, but the haste and options technology give should not be a reason to make inferior work.  Music recording may have gone digital, but the simplicity and growing toolbox only reduce the cost and time required to create - and not create less or poorly. Hockney admits the iPad allows him do most of his painting in bed, which is just fucking lazy, and starts to show the lack of dedication to the work.

Clearly, Hockney is was is a talented artist, but when I see lesser works and read that art critics are similarly unimpressed (and God knows I'm not looking for other opinions - let alone "critics" for validation), then perhaps there is some truth to the matter.