To See Clearly

August 15, 2023
A loving profile of one of the world's most renowned contemporary artists. In a summary overview of David Hockney's youth and long career, Turk mentions significant events and people in his life--but with more of an eye to capturing his artistic sensibility than brushing in finer biographical details. Growing up passionate about drawing in a large British household "full of books, art, and love," Hockney went on to break barriers by "put[ting] scenes of gay life into his paintings" (after experiencing his first crush, during a Boy Scout camping trip). Over decades of experimentation, he's created distinctive, hugely popular art using computers, fax machines, and even iPhones as well as paint. Turk tracks his subject's inspirations, from the early discovery that carefully drawing one blade of grass brought all the ones around it into sharper focus to the realization that slowing down to look closely allowed him to find multiple ways of seeing everything from portrait subjects to swimming pools. Young readers will find pathways to developing their own artistic visions and to properly appreciating those of others. In the colored pencil, gouache, and crayon illustrations, the artist, all big round glasses and brown (later blond) hair, smiles cheerily while working on or posing next to reasonably exact copies of actual select works. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A perceptive, thought-provoking, winning introduction. (biographical information, author's note, cited quotes, referenced artwork) (Picture-book biography. 7-10)

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Starred review from October 9, 2023
Turk (The Red Tin Box) creates an affectionate, frank biography of artist David Hockney (b. 1937), a figure whose openhearted curiosity makes him particularly accessible for young readers. Growing up in a sooty Yorkshire mill town with parents who encouraged his talents, Hockney would cover scrap paper with drawings: “The more he looked and drew, the more he saw.” The cinema nurtured a fascination with California; one of the book’s many marvelous colored pencil, gouache, and crayon spreads shows a film flickering on the round glasses that would become Hockney’s sartorial signature. Moving to Los Angeles in the early 1960s—a milestone portrayed in a fauve-like montage—Hockney finds endless inspiration in the landscape (“Palm trees! Surfers! Swimming pools! Everything seemed to pulse with color and excitement”). He also incorporates scenes of gay life in his paintings—“still very daring,” even in “more accepting” Los Angeles. Hockney’s place in art history was secured early on, as his first exhibition sold out and art collectors and museums sought his work, but “he always kept searching for new ways to see,” and these pages are a fitting tribute to a joyful, restless, and fearless creative life, and to stopping and looking carefully. Ages 4–8. Agent: Brenda Bowen, Book Group.

Starred review from November 1, 2023
Turk, illustrator of the Sibert Medal-winning The People's Painter (rev. 7/21), adds another excellent biography of an artist to his oeuvre of picture books for older readers. His subject here, David Hockney (b. 1937), is one of the most distinguished British painters of the past century by virtue of his contributions to the pop art movement of the 1960s; he is also a noted photographer, printmaker, and set designer. After several formative childhood experiences with art, Hockney enrolls at the Royal College of Arts in London, but he truly finds his voice after graduating and moving to Hollywood, becoming famous for illustrations of swimming pools, gay life, and mid-century Los Angeles. Turk's penchant for mixed media is on full display here: colored pencil, crayon, and gouache in bright colors. Illustrations tend toward full-bleed drawings, but occasional collages and single-page illustrations change up the visual pace. The book opens with a close-up of the glasses on young David's face and ends with a similar one featuring older David -- a detail that not only brings the book full circle but also reinforces a central theme: "The only way to slow time down was to stop and look more carefully...the more time you take to look, the more you see how beautiful life can be." Jonathan Hunt

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from December 2, 2023

Gr 3-6-In this gorgeously illustrated, poetic biography of David Hockney, Turk soars again. Following Hockney's life from drawing on the floorboards in World War II-era England through his schooling and to Hollywood, where he was able to live more fully as a gay man and artist, and then back to Europe in his older years, this biography covers almost 80 years and never sacrifices the beauty of Hockney's work in Turk's unique style. Featuring quotes from Hockney's life, re-creations of his most famous works, and a beautiful palette that's a treat for the eyes, this tribute will ensure that Hockney's art reaches a new generation, perfect for classrooms and libraries and treasured home collections. VERDICT Fans of Turk's other work will enjoy this title, as well as readers who love discovering artists coming to life on the page and learning about queer history.-Aryssa Damron

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 9, 2024
Grades K-3 Turk profiles artist David Hockney, emphasizing the keen observational skills that help him to look beneath the surface to see new perspectives and beauty. Using Hockney's glasses as a metaphor for his attentiveness, Turk details scenes from his childhood in Yorkshire, England, his time at the Royal College of Art in London, works he produced while living in Los Angeles, and his continuing evolution as an artist--with end products that include opera sets, digital art, photography, large murals, and stained-glass windows. Turk also touches on Hockney's openness concerning his sexuality, a rarity in mid-century America. The upbeat illustrations, created in colored pencil, gouache, and crayon, have an innocent, childlike feel. Many echo some of Hockney's iconic works depicting swimming pools, Southern California, and scenes of gay life. Glasses appear on nearly every spread, and the text incorporates several quotes from Hockney that speak to the importance of closely studying what one paints. Appended with generous back matter (author's note, citations, and references) this makes a good introduction to this contemporary artist.

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