David Hockney, the English painter, photographer, and stage designer, became famous for his iconic images of swimming pools in Los Angeles during the 1960s. He was drawn to the simple geometric shapes, the bright blue water, and the lush greenery surrounding the pools, and he used these elements to create a series of highly stylized, vibrant images.
Hockney's fascination with swimming pools was part of a larger interest in the Southern California lifestyle, which he saw as a symbol of the optimism and excess of the era. As his first flight to Los Angeles came in over the city in 1964 the pools' surfaces blinked beneath him, reflecting the white California light, adding their aquamarine to the green-grey urban sprawl. He was intrigued by the way that the pools served as social hubs, where people gathered to sunbathe, swim, and socialize. “I looked down to see blue swimming pools all over”, he told Diane Hanson in 2009, “and I realized that a swimming pool in England would have been a luxury, whereas here they are not, because of the climate." He also saw the pools as a way to explore the relationship between indoor and outdoor spaces, as well as the relationship between nature and man-made structures.
Through his paintings, Hockney sought to capture the sensual, carefree atmosphere of the pools and the lifestyles they represented. He used bright, bold colors and a flat, graphic style to create images that were both realistic and highly stylized. He also incorporated elements of photography, such as cropping and unusual perspectives, to give his works a sense of immediacy and modernity.
Hockney's images of swimming pools continue to be among his most popular and iconic works, and they remain an important part of his legacy as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. His fascination with swimming pools reflects his interest in capturing the spirit of a specific place and time, and his ability to create highly stylized images that are both beautiful and thought-provoking.