Sequestered by the clutches of the COVID-19 pandemic, David Hockney’s My Second Drawing of Beuvron-en-Auge, from David Hockney – 220 for 2020, is nevertheless full of hope. The artist depicts a panorama of a picturesque town square in Normandy, where he spent most of his time during lockdown. In warm tones of red and brown, Hockney captures the character of this medieval village and its quaint market square. Rather than adhering to a regimented pictorial structure, Hockney employs an more-human perspective derived from looking – prioritising not just what, but also how, the eye sees. Created at a time when all there was to do was look, My Second Drawing of Beuvron-en-Auge and the wider 220 for 2020 project epitomise Hockney’s assiduous eye for detail and his mastery in representing the idiosyncrasies of the world around him.
“Camera’s give you a certain view, but it’s not quite the human view.”
—David Hockney
Hockney’s project 220 for 2020 documented the passing of time in the Norman landscape. It comprised of two sketchbooks of double page paintings and 220 (plus four bonus) iPad drawings. Portraying the first spring blossoms, the vibrancy of the summer sun, the orange ochres of autumn and the sparse branches of winter, the works follow the changing of the seasons. At a time when more people began to appreciate the beauty of nature – the only thing untainted by illness and hysteria as the world came to a sudden pause – Hockney’s depiction of Normandy over the changing seasons mirrors nature’s potential for escape, solace and renewal.
