Exploring Hockney's Art

Overview

A 60-minute lesson for Year 6 students focused on analysing a famous painting by David Hockney, designed to meet the National Curriculum for England's Art & Design requirements.

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National Curriculum Links

Key Stage 2 - Art & Design:

• Pupils should be taught to:

  • Develop their techniques, including their control and their use of materials, with creativity, experimentation and an increasing awareness of different kinds of art, craft and design.
  • Create sketch books to record their observations and use them to review and revisit ideas.
  • Improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing, painting and sculpture with a range of materials.
  • Learn about great artists, architects and designers in history.

• Attainment target:

  • To use a range of materials creatively to design and make products.
  • To use drawing, painting and sculpture to develop and share their ideas, experiences and imagination.
  • To learn about the work of a range of artists, craft makers and designers, describing the differences and similarities between different practices and disciplines, and making links to their own work.

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Learning Intention

To understand how to analyse a famous painting by David Hockney by observing, discussing, and interpreting its compositional and stylistic elements.

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Success Criteria

• I can identify key features of David Hockney’s painting.
• I can use art vocabulary to describe the painting’s colours, shapes, and composition.
• I can express my ideas and interpretations of the artwork confidently.
• I can link what I see in the painting to Hockney’s style and art techniques.

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Resources

• High-quality print or digital image of David Hockney’s “A Bigger Splash” (1967)
• Visual vocabulary prompt cards (colour, shape, line, perspective, mood, composition)
• Sketchbooks or plain paper
• Pencils, erasers, coloured pencils or pastels
• Whiteboard and markers
• Sentence starters for analysis and discussion
• Ipads/tablets for extension research (optional)

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Lesson Breakdown

1. Introduction (10 minutes)

• Starter activity: Display “A Bigger Splash” and ask students to share initial impressions.
• Briefly introduce David Hockney, explaining why he is an important contemporary British artist (National Curriculum focus on great artists).
• Link to National Curriculum: “Learn about great artists in history” and “Describing differences and similarities between practices”.

2. Guided Analysis (15 minutes)

• Introduce key art vocabulary using prompt cards (colour, shape, line, light, perspective, mood).
• Model analysing the painting using a think-aloud strategy focusing on:
  • Use of colour (bright blues, clean lines)
  • Perspective tricks (flattened space, clear lines)
  • Subject matter (swimming pool, splash – frozen moment in time)
  • Mood and feeling (calm vs sudden splash).
• In pairs, students use sentence starters to discuss what they notice in the painting:
  • "I notice..."
  • "The colours remind me of..."
  • "The splash looks like..."

3. Independent Activity (20 minutes)

• Students create a quick sketch inspired by “A Bigger Splash” incorporating key features:
  • Bold colours
  • Clear shapes
  • An action or moment frozen in time (like a splash, jump or burst).
• Encourage use of pencil outlines and coloured pencil/pastel shading to mimic Hockney’s style.
• Students note down 2-3 sentences in their sketchbooks explaining the choices they made and how these link to Hockney’s painting.

4. Sharing and Reflecting (10 minutes)

• Invite volunteers to present their sketches and explanations.
• Highlight use of vocabulary and interpretative ideas.
• Conduct a brief reflective discussion:
  • "How did analysing Hockney’s artwork help you plan your own?"
  • "What did you find interesting about his style?"

5. Plenary and Assessment (5 minutes)

• Use a quick quiz or thumbs up/down to assess:
  • Can students identify key vocabulary?
  • Can they explain something about Hockney’s style?
• Exit ticket prompt: "One thing I learned about analysing art today is…"

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Differentiation

• Support: Provide vocabulary cards with images for EAL and SEND students; pair with confident peers for discussion. Use sentence stems to scaffold verbal and written responses.
• Challenge: Encourage advanced learners to research another Hockney painting (e.g., Mr and Mrs Clark and Percy) on tablets and compare its style with “A Bigger Splash”, writing a short paragraph in their sketchbooks.

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Extension Activities

• Create a digital collage inspired by Hockney’s photo montages using classroom tablets.
• Experiment with layering colour transparently using watercolours to mimic Hockney’s sense of light and depth.
• Write a short creative diary entry from the perspective of the splash or figure within the painting, exploring narrative through art.

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Teacher Notes

• Emphasise art vocabulary and observational skills objectively, not just subjective opinions.
• Encourage the use of sketchbooks as ongoing reflective tools to revisit thoughts and developmental progress.
• This lesson will build critical thinking, observation and practical skills aligned with year 6 expectations.

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End of plan.