Name: David Hockney: The Colors of Music
Genre: Documentary
Released: 2005
Duration: 1 min 25 s

Brief Synopsis

Cast & Crew

Film Details

MPAA Rating

Genre

Documentary

Release Date

2005

Production Company

Algemeene Vereniging Radio Omroep (Avro); Arte

Distribution Company

Arte

Technical Specs

Duration

1h 25m

Synopsis

Not since Picasso has a painter directed his creative energy into stage design with such dedication and impact. David Hockney's stage sets have traveled throughout the world as a touring exhibition of the artist's models, drawings, and paintings. Opera performances featuring his sets have taken place in Paris, Glyndebourne, London, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Through his use of lighting and color, Hockney's innovations transform opera into a magical experience--one to watch as well as to hear. Ironically, a congenital hearing disorder has caused Hockney, a passionate music-lover, to slowly lose his hearing. His keen awareness that each production may be his last invests the film with an immediacy and passion that is palpable. Hockney is an artist at the height of his artistic powers but he is also in a personal race against time. For the past 25 years, David Hockney has been one of the most widely discussed and documented artists of his generation. He has been the subject of more than 200 solo exhibitions and participated in over 200 groups shows. What is less well known is that at the heart of his visionary power lies a deep and abiding passion for music. Every sphere of his activity, from painting, to photo collage, to printmaking, has been suffused by this passion. Hockney's immersion into costume and stage design for opera is a synthesis of his art and his love of music. It is through this medium that Hockney makes a unique contribution to popular culture. He has redefined the way we see and hear opera, setting a standard for challenging opera design. At the same time, this passion has brought about a revolution in his aesthetic.