Archives: Artworks

This etching from David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio depicts the famous story ‘Rumpelstilzchen’. Hockney invented this composition, stating “I liked the idea of starting off with a rather ordinary picture … a silly little man who’s stamped his foot into the ground, then is pulling it out, then pulls … Continued

This etching from David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio depicts the famous story ‘Rumpelstilzchen’. Rumpelstilzchen is an invented composition, based on Hockney’s 1961 etching of the character. The artist also sketched numerous reference drawings. Hockney wanted to convey his grotesque appearance without making him so ugly as to deny the … Continued

This etching from David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio depicts the famous story ‘Rumpelstilzchen’. Hockney invented this composition in which Rumpelstiltskin is dancing round the fire on a cooking spoon singing ‘Rumpelstiltskin is my name’. The antagonist of the Grimm Brothers’ eponymous fairy tale, is pictured here at the moment … Continued

This etching from David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio pictures the story ‘Rumpelstilzchen’. A room full of straw references Magritte’s The Tomb of the Wrestlers (in which a rose, and in another painting an apple, fills a room). However the reference is formal rather than conceptual. Hockney notes that while … Continued

This etching from David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio depicts the famous story ‘Rumpelstilzchen’. Hockney says he was intrigued by the idea of drawing something entirely abstract and focusing on the contrasting textures of the straw and the gold. He drew the straw with pencil on soft ground to mimic … Continued

This etching from David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio depicts the famous story ‘Rumpelstilzchen’. Hockney wanted to mimick the shining texture of gold, drawing rays around the ingots and writing “GOLD” in loose, outlined letters. He states: “I show the straw as falling down but leave in signs that make … Continued

This etching from David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio depicts the somewhat obscure story Old Rinkrank, which Hockney chose to illustrate because it began with the words ‘A king built a glass mountain’, and the problem of drawing a glass mountain intrigued him. He tried to draw the glass eight … Continued

This etching from David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio depicts the somewhat obscure story Old Rinkrank, which Hockney chose to illustrate because it began with the words ‘A king built a glass mountain’, and the problem of drawing a glass mountain intrigued him. He tried to draw the glass eight … Continued

This etching from David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio depicts the somewhat obscure story Old Rinkrank, which Hockney chose to illustrate because it began with the words ‘A king built a glass mountain’, and the problem of drawing a glass mountain intrigued him. Hockney described his visceral reaction to the … Continued

This etching from David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio depicts the somewhat obscure story Old Rinkrank, which Hockney chose to illustrate because it began with the words ‘A king built a glass mountain’, and the problem of drawing a glass mountain intrigued him. He tried to draw the glass eight … Continued

This etching from David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio depicts the somewhat obscure story Old Rinkrank, which Hockney chose to illustrate because it began with the words ‘A king built a glass mountain’, and the problem of drawing a glass mountain intrigued him.Hockn ey drew from Uccello’s St George and … Continued

Hockney’s reference for this work is a painting by Carpaccio: Dream of St Ursula, with her bed frame’s crenelated fabric transferred to a border along the upper edge of Hockney’s etching. Instead of an angel bringing news of the saint’s martyrdom, there is a rush of water drawn with a splash (this technique is likely … Continued

From David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio, an image of the story ‘The boy who left home to learn fear’. Hockney chose this story for its obscurity: It was the only story from the Brothers Grimm that he had never read. To illustrate this story, the artist drew from Goya’s … Continued

From David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio, an image of the story ‘The boy who left home to learn fear’. Hockney chose this story for its obscurity: It was the only story from the Brothers Grimm that he had never read. To illustrate this story, the artist drew from Goya’s … Continued

Against a tightly-crosshatched background, a large black cat leaps through the air towards an unflinching seated man. The man’s hands are crossed in his lap–his relaxed pose adds tension to this surreal scene. This etching is deceptively simple: Hockney etched eight layers, reworking the lines at various points when the lines went too black. However … Continued

This etching is from ‘The boy who left home to learn fear’. Hockney chose this story for its obscurity: It was the only story from the Brothers Grimm that he had never read. To illustrate this story, the artist drew from Goya’s aquatints, with their dramatic lighting. Here a large knife lies atop a thick … Continued

From David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio, an image of the story ‘The boy who left home to learn fear’. Hockney chose this story for its obscurity: It was the only story from the Brothers Grimm that he had never read. Hockney drew this dramatic image from life, positioning lights … Continued

From David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio, an image of the story ‘The boy who left home to learn fear’. This image was etched 16 times resulting in the rich, dark tones: Hockney had never before created an etching of this complexity. You can see various layers of built-up crosshatching, … Continued

From David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio, an image from the story of ‘The boy who left home to learn fear’. Hockney chose this story for its obscurity: It was the only story from the Brothers Grimm that he had never read. To illustrate this story, the artist drew from … Continued

From David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio, an image from the story of ‘The boy who left home to learn fear’. Hockney chose this story for its obscurity: It was the only story from the Brothers Grimm that he had never read. To illustrate this story, the artist drew from … Continued

From David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio, an image from the story of ‘The boy who left home to learn fear’. Hockney chose this story for its obscurity: It was the only story from the Brothers Grimm that he had never read. Hockney does not recall from what photograph this … Continued

From David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio, an image from the story of ‘The boy who left home to learn fear’. Hockney chose this story for its obscurity: It was the only story from the Brothers Grimm that he had never read. To illustrate this story, the artist drew from … Continued

From David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio, an image from the story of Rapunzel, which he chose for its popularity. When illustrating the prince beseeching Rapunzel at the foot of her tower, Hockney appropriated a hunter on horseback from Paolo Uccello’s epic 15th century landscape painting Hunt in the Forest. … Continued

From David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm series, an image from the story of Rapunzel. Captured in this scene is the moment a King’s son comes across the tower and falls in love with her sweet singing, beseeching her: ‘Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Let down your hair to me.’ This print pictures Rapunzel’s … Continued

From David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio, an image from the story of Rapunzel. This composition is sourced from Paolo Uccello’s St George and the Dragon (1470). Hockney drew directly on the plate from the painting reference, which was then printed, reversing the image. Hockney said: “I thought the hair … Continued

From David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio, an image from the story of Rapunzel. The Enchantress with the baby Rapunzel references a Heironymus Bosch painting ‘The Adoration of the Magi’ (1475) depicting the Virgin Mary and Child, and the trees originate from a Leonardo painting. Hockney deliberately made the woman … Continued

From David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio, an image from the story of Rapunzel. Hockney chose to illustrate Rapunzel as it is one of the most famous of the Brothers Grimm stories. Of the first of six Rapunzel etchings, Rapunzel Growing in the Garden, he said: “This is one of … Continued

From David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio, an image from the story of Rapunzel. Hockney stated: “The old woman who wants the child. In one translation she is called a witch, and in another she’s called an enchantress….I preferred this word ‘enchantress’ – it wasn’t quite as harsh on her … Continued

This etching is Hockney’s interpretation of the Brothers Grimm tale of ‘Fundevogel’, picturing the lake where a devilish cook meets her watery grave. Hockney drew the landscape from a photograph that he found in an old German paperback guidebook, inspired by the bucolic landscapes he observed during his travels along Germany’s Rhine river. Gorgeous washes … Continued

From David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio, an image from the story of ‘Fundevogel’. This etching is from the Brothers Grimm tale of ‘Fundevogel’, and depicts the moment Fundevogel has transformed into a church tower to escape an evil cook. ‘The church tower and the clock’ is based on a … Continued

From David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm portfolio, an image from the story of ‘Fundevogel’. One of just a few in the series that depicts a single form with such complexity, drawn directly on the plate by Hockney. This is certainly an ode to Giorgio Morandi’s etchings, such as Still Life … Continued

This David Hockney etching is from the Brothers Grimm tale of ‘Fundevogel’: picturing a foundling bird who has transformed into a rosebush. ‘The rose and the rose stalk’ is perhaps the most delicate image from the series, with the rose thorns outlined simply and the leaves filled with crosshatching. The rose petals are the darkest … Continued

One of David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm illustrations, taken from the story of ‘Fundevogel’. Shown in profile, an old woman with curled horns grimaces against a neatly crosshatched background. Pictured is the devilish cook from ‘Fundevogel’. Hockney has captured the villainess with perfection: a spoon, wielded menacingly, her downturned mouth … Continued

One of David Hockney’s celebrated Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm illustrations, taken from the story of ‘Fundevogel’. Hockney said that the landscape was “done from an old photograph I found of the vineyards on the Moselle River”. There is the influence of Giorgio Morandi’s subtley-shaded landscape etchings in the shape of the house … Continued

David Hockney drew this portrait for his Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm illustrations. The princess, who has stated that she will marry no one but he who can hide from her successfully, searches beyond her tower for a boy who has concealed himself. The topmost platform of the tower is rendered in rich … Continued