Joseph Gallivan interviews Mary Weaver Chapin about David Hockney

On Tuesday, June 16, 2015 at 11.30am, Joseph Gallivan interviews Mary Weaver Chapin, the Curator of Graphic Arts at the Portland Art Museum. Chapin talks about David Hockney's 16 etchings called A Rake's Progress. She will also discuss his stage and costumes designs done ten years later for Igor Stravinsky's opera The Rake's Progress. The works are on display at PAM alongside copies of William Hogarth's original engravings which inspired Hockney.  
 
Recorded at KBOO on June 7 2015, audio edited by KBOO volunteer Sam Parrish.
from the press release:
David Hockney
A Rake’s Progress
APR 18 – AUG 2, 2015
This spring, the Museum is proud to partner with the Portland Opera and the David Hockney Foundation to present David Hockney: A Rake’s Progress. Hockney, one of the most significant artists of our generation, has long engaged with the paintings and engravings of 18th-century English artist William Hogarth. Hockney was particularly captivated by Hogarth’s series The Rake’s Progress, 1733, which chronicles the rise and fall of Tom Rakewell, the son and heir of a rich merchant, who squanders his money on luxurious living, prostitution, and gambling. After a trip to New York, Hockney produced his own interpretation of the story. Hockney’s A Rake’s Progress was published as a portfolio of 16 etchings in 1963 and is considered one of the high points of his early career.
In 1975, Hockney collaborated with director John Cox to create a new production of Igor Stravinsky’s opera based on Hogarth’s The Rake’s Progress. Hockney drew inspiration from the 18th-century master’s engravings, endowing the set designs and costumes with a linearity that speaks not only to the language of prints, but also to the modern angularity of Stravinsky’s score. The result is both playful and rigorous, a perfect blend of the aural and visual.
The exhibition is an exciting look into Hockney’s creative process. It will feature etchings, drawings, models, and watercolors that depict the 1975 opera’s set design from initial idea to final concept, offering a rare glimpse into working methods of one of England’s finest living artists.
The exhibition of this work is complemented by the Portland Opera’s production of The Rake’s Progress on June 11, 12, and 14, 2015, featuring Hockney’s celebrated scenic and costume designs.
Organized by the Portland Art Museum and curated by Mary Weaver Chapin, Ph.D., Curator of Graphic Arts, in cooperation with the David Hockney Foundation.
 
1219 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR 97205 
 
Joseph Gallivan has been a reporter since 1990. He has covered music for the London Independent, Technology for the New York Post, and arts and culture for the Portland Tribune, where he is currently the Business Reporter. He is the author of two novels, "Oi, Ref!" and "England All Over" which are available on Amazon.com
josephgallivan@gmail.com