10 ways David Hockney transformed art from perspective to iPads

A Guardian retrospective outlines ten key ways David Hockney changed art, from his working-class origins in Bradford to his technological innovations. Hockney synthesized minimalism, abstraction, portraiture, and pop art in the 1960s. He challenged traditional perspective by using reverse perspective, shifting the vanishing point behind the viewer. His photography collages, like 'Pearblossom Hwy' (1986), merged painting and photography. In the mid-2000s, he made monumental landscapes of Yorkshire's Woldgate woods. He adopted the iPad for digital painting, creating recognizable works despite the medium. His hyper-stylized visions defined Los Angeles's aesthetic after his 1964 move to California. His portraits treated subjects with equal grace, from his mother to pop stars. In 2025, he created the immersive exhibition 'David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away)' at London's Lightroom. He designed sets for theatre and opera, including 'Ubu Roi' (1966) and 'Tristan und Isolde'. His early work celebrated gay sexuality, paving the way for other LGBTQ+ artists.