Study of The Entrance by David Hockney offers a sweeping and vibrant portrayal of the driveway leading to his Normandy home, Le Grand Coeur, nestled in the village of Beuvron-en-Auge. This work marks a new chapter in the remarkable artistic journey of Hockney—widely regarded as one of the most influential artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. From the industrial charm of his native Yorkshire to the dazzling sunscapes of California, and now to the pastoral calm of northern France, Hockney has consistently drawn inspiration from the places he’s called home.

In 2019, he relocated to Normandy, captivated by the region’s rustic beauty, the romantic glow of sunsets at Le Havre, and a memorable visit—while in a wheelchair—to the Bayeux Tapestry, the famed medieval textile. These encounters stirred in him a profound connection to the landscape and its history, inspiring a new body of work rooted in his immediate surroundings.

Le Grand Coeur, a 17th-century thatched cottage set on a sprawling 12-acre estate, became both sanctuary and muse. Surrounded by rolling greenery and immersed in quietude, Hockney found the perfect environment to deepen his practice, away from the distractions of urban life. The cottage and its grounds soon became recurring motifs in his Normandy iPad drawings, which culminated in the acclaimed series The Arrival of Spring: Normandy. These works, like the Impressionist landscapes of Monet’s nearby Giverny, celebrate seasonal change and the sensory richness of nature.

In Study of The Entrance, Hockney turns his gaze to the driveway—a seemingly ordinary scene that, in his hands, becomes a symphony of springtime vitality. The composition bursts with playful, saturated colors: lush greens and luminous blues capture the freshly manicured lawn and winding gravel path, while scattered trees, their leaves newly awakened from winter dormancy, bathe in sunlight. Hockney's signature digital brushwork enlivens the landscape, emphasizing not just how it looks, but how it feels: alive, emerging, full of promise.

The work also creates a quiet dialogue with Hockney’s earlier landscapes from the mid-2000s, when he painted en plein air around Bridlington in East Yorkshire. Those scenes—of narrow roads, blooming hedgerows, and undulating fields—share with Study of The Entrance a sense of immersion and emotional presence. But here, Hockney also evokes a deeper intimacy. The “entrance” becomes symbolic: not only the physical gateway to his new home, but a metaphor for creative renewal, personal retreat, and the eternal cycles of nature.

In this piece, as in much of Hockney’s recent work, there’s a reverence for the act of seeing itself. The Normandy series is filled with close observation, a delight in slow looking, and a return to the basics of what it means to make art from life. Study of The Entrance reminds us that inspiration need not come from distant places or grand subjects—it can be found just outside the front door, in the simple quiet of spring returning.

For more information on David Hockney’s Study of The Entrance for sale or to buy Study of The Entrance contact our galleries using the form below.