A Bigger Splash: David Hockney Behind the Canvas

Few artists have shaped contemporary art quite like David Hockney. Following the news of his passing, this tribute looks back at a body of work defined by vibrant color, California swimming pools, and a constant drive to push viewers to see the world differently.

Born in Bradford, England in 1937, Hockney first emerged as a leading figure in British Pop Art before relocating to California, where many of his defining works took shape. Paintings like A Bigger Splash and Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures) became touchstones of contemporary art, and his later experiments with photography and digital drawings showed an artist who never stopped reinventing his tools.

Hockney was also ahead of his time in what he chose to depict. As an openly gay artist, he portrayed queer relationships and desire with a clarity and ease that expanded what mainstream art was willing to show.

Jack Hazan’s A Bigger Splash (1974) remains one of the most candid portraits of Hockney on film. Mixing documentary observation with staged moments, Hazan follows the artist in the aftermath of his breakup with longtime muse Peter Schlesinger, capturing both his creative process and the circle of friends who shaped his world. The film stands as an intimate study of a major artist and a vivid snapshot of 1970s queer culture.

Today, A Bigger Splash remains an essential companion to Hockney’s work—a film that traces not just the images he made, but the life and relationships that informed them.