''Peter Getting Out of Nick's Pool'' is a 1966

acrylic Acrylic may refer to: Chemicals and materials * Acrylic acid, the simplest acrylic compound * Acrylate polymer, a group of polymers (plastics) noted for transparency and elasticity * Acrylic resin, a group of related thermoplastic or thermosett ...

-on-

canvas Canvas is an extremely durable plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, shelters, as a support for oil painting and for other items for which sturdiness is required, as well as in such fashion objects as handb ...

painting by the British pop art artist

David Hockney David Hockney (born 9 July 1937) is an English painter, draftsman, printmaker, stage designer, and photographer. As an important contributor to the pop art movement of the 1960s, he is considered one of the most influential British artists o ...

. It depicts the rear view of a naked man climbing out of a swimming pool outside a contemporary house. It is held at the

Walker Art Gallery The Walker Art Gallery is an art gallery in Liverpool, which houses one of the largest art collections in England outside London. It is part of the National Museums Liverpool group. History of the Gallery The Walker Art Gallery's collection ...

in Liverpool.

Background

Hockney moved from England to California in 1964, drawn by its sleek modernist aesthetic and warm

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

. In 1966, while teaching at

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a Normal school, teachers colle ...

, Hockney met the American art student

Peter Schlesinger Peter Schlesinger (born April 2, 1948 in Los Angeles, California) is an American artist, author, and former artist's model, perhaps most well known for being the subject in numerous notable canvases by the British painter David Hockney. Biograph ...

. The two became lovers, and Hockney started painting a series of pool pictures, often featuring Schlesinger. A few of these, such as ''Peter Getting Out of Nick's Pool'' (1966), ''

A Bigger Splash ''A Bigger Splash'' is a large pop art painting by British artist David Hockney. Measuring by , it depicts a swimming pool beside a modern house, disturbed by a large splash of water created by an unseen figure who has apparently just jumped ...

'' (1967) and ''

Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures) ''Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)'' is a large acrylic-on-canvas pop art painting by British artist David Hockney, completed in May 1972. It measures , and depicts two figures: one swimming underwater and one clothed male figure ...

'' (1972), later achieved iconic status. On 15 November 2018, the latter set a world record for the most expensive work of art ever sold at auction by a living artist.

Description

The painting measures . It depicts the communal pool of the apartment block at 1145 Larrabee Street, Hollywood, north of

Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades east to Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles. It is a major thoroughfare i ...

, which was then the home of art dealer

Nicholas Wilder Nicholas Walter George Wilder (1937May 12, 1989) was an American art dealer and owner of an eponymous contemporary art gallery in Los Angeles in the 1960s and 1970s. He later closed his gallery, returned to his native New York, and developed ...

, and shows a naked Schlesinger, then 18 years old, climbing up and out of the pool. Hockney, in his characteristic style, simplifies and flattens the image, and the rippling surface of the water is abstracted into wavy white lines on blue, similar to a comic or an advertisement. The straight lines in the painting were created using

masking tape Masking tape, also known as painter's tape, is a type of pressure-sensitive tape made of a thin and easy-to-tear paper, and an easily released pressure-sensitive adhesive. It is available in a variety of widths. It is used mainly in painting, t ...

. The work has a border of un- primed canvas, like a photograph, which Hockney says he left "to make the picture look more like a painting". The figure in the painting is based on a

polaroid Polaroid may refer to: * Polaroid Corporation, an American company known for its instant film and cameras * Polaroid camera, a brand of instant camera formerly produced by Polaroid Corporation * Polaroid film, instant film, and photographs * Polar ...

photograph Hockney took of Schlesinger standing up against the hood of his own MG car. Interviewed about the painting in 2012, Schlesinger laughed about it, saying "That’s why the part under the water isn't painted well—because it was just invented." In 1967, Hockney's painting won the

John Moores Painting Prize The John Moores Painting Prize is a biennial award to the best contemporary painting, submission is open to the public. The prize is named for Sir John Moores, noted philanthropist, who established the award in 1957. The winning work and short-lis ...

at the

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

. The painting was acquired as a bequest from Sir John Moores who in 1957, established the eponymous biannual award and subsequently often purchased the winning entry and then presented the work to the museum. Moores purchased this work in 1967, and presented it to the museum in 1968. The picture remains in the Walker's permanent collection.

References

Sources

''Peter Getting Out of Nick’s Pool''
david-hockney.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Peter Getting out of Nick's Pool Pop art Paintings by David Hockney 1966 paintings Bathing in art Paintings in the collection of the Walker Art Gallery Los Angeles in art Nude art