Hockney – Van Gogh: The Joy of Nature

Van Gogh’s masterpieces are juxtaposed with Hockney’s colourful and colossal paintings in this exploration of the artists’ parallel approaches to nature and landscape

Hockney – Van Gogh: The Joy of Nature presents unique insights into the influences of two world-renowned artists. Nature is a substantial theme for both David Hockney and Vincent van Gogh, one that draws their work together – Hockney’s Yorkshire landscapes are especially reminiscent of Van Gogh’s Wheatfield with Crows and The Harvest – and now, for the first time, art lovers can study their pieces side by side.

Presenting paintings, iPad drawings and sketchbook reproductions, and including work both old and new, this book examines the ways in which both artists use formal elements to create their particular view of the world. An exclusive interview with Hockney and an essay by writer and art critic Hans den Hartog Jager provide a rich analysis of Van Gogh’s influence on Hockney. An eye-catching portrait of David Hockney, taken by the renowned Dutch photographer Rineke Dijkstra, is also part of the book.

'I’ve always found the world quite beautiful, looking at it. Just looking. And that’s an important thing I share with Vincent van Gogh: we both really, really enjoy looking at the world'
David Hockney

About the Author

Hans den Hartog Jager is a noted Dutch art critic, curator and author. He was the artistic director of the Outdoor Art Biennial in Drenthe, ‘Into Nature’ (2018), and a member of the jury for the annual Royal Award for Modern Painting in the Netherlands.