Tick it, Tock it, Turn it True 1976 - 1977

David Hockney made this etching called 'Tick it, Tock it, Turn it True' using a range of delicate hatching and cross-hatching. He seems to be feeling out the boundaries of a space. See the stage-like setting and those floating architectural forms. I can imagine Hockney in his studio, carefully layering these fine lines, almost like he's building a dreamscape from scratch. I love how he suggests depth and volume with such minimal means. Look at the way he uses colour to define the chair, or the table with a bowl on top, and how he creates a sense of light and shadow. There's something almost playful, almost theatrical about it, a bit like de Chirico or Picasso. Hockney's always been fascinated by how we see, and this print feels like an experiment in visual perception. He's questioning our assumptions, inviting us to piece together our own version of reality. And isn’t that what art is all about—artists inspiring each other across time and space? It embraces the ambiguity and uncertainty of interpretation.