Echoing David Hockney : a sequential narrative that focuses on the study of relationships within double portraiture

Abstract

This project has been created to study the intimate stories David Hockney portrays in his works of art surrounding the themes of double portraiture and relationships. This research specifically targets the artwork “Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)” (Hockney, 1972). The themes of duality, double portraiture in the history of art, sociological aspects behind relationships and David Hockney as an artist were analysed in order to obtain a thorough insight to fuel the final product: a sequential narrative. This dissertation explored sociological theories, such as John Bowlby's Attachment theory (1966, 1988) and Leon Festinger’s Cognitive Dissonance theory (1957), in order to understand the story behind Hockney’s paintings. The data-collection method was qualitative, as in-depth interviews were held with couples in order to obtain a deeper understanding of their relationships. The subject matter of the final sequential narrative was determined by this data, which led to the writing of the script. The fictional story explores an abstract world and direct interaction with the artist. The dissertation itself explores the ability to communicate Hockney’s art, through digital illustrations that encapsulate his techniques and the various aspects he has embodied through the doubleportraiture aspect, of his career. The final illustrations were determined by the script, which was the base for the finalised graphic novel and was exhibited online along with a mini-documentary video showcasing the process.