David Hockney – A Moving Still Life

A Moving Still Life, from The Blue Guitar portfolio, 1976–77

• Artist: David Hockney (British, born 1937)
• Medium: Etching and aquatint in colors on Inversk paper
• Dimensions (sight): 37 × 44 cm (14 1/2 × 17 1/2 in)
• Portfolio: The Blue Guitar Executed: 1976–77
• Framed: No

A Moving Still Life is a color etching and aquatint on Inversk paper, executed in 1976–77 as part of The Blue Guitar portfolio — one of the most celebrated, historically significant, and widely collected print projects of David Hockney's career, and one of the great achievements of twentieth-century printmaking. Printed on Inversk paper — a premium British printmaking paper prized for its surface quality and archival stability — the impression achieves a level of chromatic refinement and tonal delicacy entirely characteristic of Hockney's mastery of the etching and aquatint medium.

The Blue Guitar portfolio stands as one of the defining print projects of the 1970s, bringing together two of the twentieth century's most celebrated creative imaginations — David Hockney and Wallace Stevens. Inspired by Stevens' 1937 poem The Man with the Blue Guitar — itself a meditation on Picasso's 1903 painting The Old Guitarist — the portfolio comprises twenty etchings and aquatints in which Hockney explores the relationship between art and reality, imagination and representation, the artist and his subject. The title's chain of cultural references — from Picasso to Stevens to Hockney — gives the portfolio a depth of art historical and literary resonance that places it among the most intellectually ambitious print projects of its era.

In A Moving Still Life, Hockney brings his characteristic intelligence, wit, and formal precision to bear on one of the most enduring genres of Western art history — the still life — transforming it through the lens of his own visual concerns and the conceptual framework of the portfolio into something altogether more dynamic, ambiguous, and alive. The combination of etching and aquatint allows for an exceptional range of tonal and chromatic effects — the precise linear definition of the etching complemented by the soft, atmospheric gradations of the aquatint — giving the composition a visual richness and surface complexity that rewards sustained looking.

One of the most celebrated, prolific, and internationally recognized British artists of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, David Hockney's works are held in virtually every major museum collection worldwide, including Tate, MoMA, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Pompidou Centre. The Blue Guitar portfolio is among the most sought-after works in his printed oeuvre and regularly achieves strong results at the world's leading auction houses.

The work is in very good condition.

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FAQ

Is this an original work by David Hockney? Yes. A Moving Still Life is an authentic color etching and aquatint from The Blue Guitar portfolio, executed in 1976–77 — one of the most celebrated and historically significant print projects of Hockney's career.

What printing technique was used? The work is a color etching and aquatint on Inversk paper — a technically refined combination that produces exceptional tonal and chromatic depth, with the precise linear definition of the etching complemented by the soft, atmospheric gradations of the aquatint.

What is The Blue Guitar portfolio? The Blue Guitar is one of the most celebrated print portfolios of the twentieth century, executed by David Hockney in 1976–77. Inspired by Wallace Stevens' 1937 poem The Man with the Blue Guitar — itself a meditation on Picasso's The Old Guitarist — the portfolio comprises twenty etchings and aquatints exploring the relationship between art and reality, imagination and representation. It is among the most sought-after works in Hockney's printed oeuvre.

What is Inversk paper? Inversk is a premium British printmaking paper prized for its exceptional surface quality, archival stability, and ability to render fine tonal and chromatic gradations. Its use in fine art printing is associated with the highest standards of production and is particularly well suited to the demands of etching and aquatint.

What are the dimensions of the piece? Sight: 37 × 44 cm (14 1/2 × 17 1/2 in)

Is the artwork framed? No. The work is presented unframed.

What is the condition of the work? Very good condition. Full condition report available upon request.

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