The drives were a way not only to catalog the landscapes he would later paint but also to understand the way the sun affected the visual identity of the city.
Modernism Week, a biannual celebration of midcentury architecture and design, returns to the desert city Feb. He and a friend drove straight from Chicago to California in order to make it to the Hollywood Bowl in time, napkin in hand as his ticket backstage.
Hockney also took long drives in order to find interesting landscapes to doodle. From Midcentury Modern furniture to vintage caftans and handcrafted pottery, there is something unique to be found in the shops along Palm Canyon Drive. Beyond Palm Springs β which Roberts described as more as a pit stop than a destination β Hockney was far more fascinated by what lay beyond. Many of the International Style buildings in downtown L. Looking out the plane window as he flew into Los Angeles for the first time, Hockney became enamored with the dozens of blue swimming pools he spied from above.
His fascination with California began with drawing its water β from the ocean to city fountains β driven by his interest in the way light danced on the surfaces of pools. Painting the bottom of the Tropicana pool at the Roosevelt Hotel was a spontaneous favor for a friend who worked at the hotel β one that became a permanent fixture at the famous hotel in Hollywood.
As the story goes, Hockney appeared on deck with a bucket of blue paint and a broom affixed with a paintbrush to get the job done. A number of L. Santa Monica Boulevard, a major thoroughfare that runs through West Hollywood and connects much of L. Graphic Editions Ltd. Since it was built in as the first earthquake-proof building, the Chateau Marmont has long been home to iconic out-of-towners and chic Angelenos.
