Lawrence Weschler reflects on nearly 45 years of conversations with David Hockney, tracing the artist's transformative shift from static portraiture to dynamic, multiperspective works. Their first meeting in 1982 coincided with Hockney's decisive break from traditional one-point perspective that had defined his earlier acclaimed paintings of pools, palms, and California light.

Hockney's prolific output contradicted his public image as a leisurely dandy. The artist worked constantly, even during travels that produced masterpieces like 'Le Parc des Sources, Vichy' (1970), where he captured scenes while friends sat waiting. His rejection of photography's 'paralyzed Cyclops' viewpoint led to elaborate Polaroid collages questioning singular perspectives on reality.

The turning point came with 'Mulholland Drive: The Road to the Studio' (1980), where Hockney transformed the familiar thoroughfare into a verb—inviting viewers on a moving journey. This obsession with perpetual motion consumed his later work, from opera designs to scholarly investigations spanning six centuries of Western art.

His research culminated in the controversial 'Secret Knowledge,' arguing artists used optical devices centuries earlier than believed. Hockney's relentless reinvention proves artistic vitality comes from refusing complacency, constantly challenging established viewpoints through relentless experimentation.