I spent last Friday afternoon checking it out with a friend. It was frustratingly crowded, which I guess is to be expected with blockbuster shows like this one – but once we dodged the school groups and the selfie sticks, we got the chance to appreciate pieces he created over the past 20 years (including some new ones, specifically for RA). He’s very good at corrupting traditions to make a case for human rights and creative freedom – and though it’s occasionally cheeky and disturbing, it’s unequivocally sincere.

The show’s worth a visit and on until 13th December and you can find out more about it here. In the meantime, check out some of my snaps from my recent visit below:

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Thinking outside the traditional painter’s box, Hockney has been drawing on an iPhone since 2008, eagerly graduating to the iPad in 2010. Using a simple  app called Brushes, his initial infatuation with iPhone-drawing was the ability to send finger-drawn images to friends, usually of flowers, or the view from his window. This became an almost daily habit, and led to his recent ‘Fresh Flowers’ exhibit, which involved drawings made on the electronic devices that were projected onto screens.

His latest exhibition, ‘The Bigger Picture’, is comprised of work from the last few years; a range of vivid large-scale paintings inspired by the East Yorkshire landscape and created especially for the Royal Academy. Using a tablet proved invaluable for creating these works, as they are made up of multiple panels, the size of which allow the viewer to really get lost in the scene portrayed. A series of films have also been produced, using 18 cameras and multiple screens set up in the gallery, which will show an artistic journey through the eyes of Hockney himself. It’s a great example of how modern tools and artistry can combine to create new ideas – and, at 74, Hockney also proves that you’re never too old to get to grips with technology. (Words: Flora Baker)

‘David Hockney: A Bigger Picture’ opens at the Royal Academy of Arts runs until April 9th.  For more info, visit www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibitions/hockney

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