LONDON.- David Hockney RA (b. 1937) has always been closely associated with California, where he has lived for much of his life. This major study of his work redefines him as an important painter of the English countryside, presenting his recent landscapes for the first time. A Bigger Picture is published to accompany the major exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in London (21 January – 9 April 2012). In the last decade Hockney has returned to painting in the open air, observing with honesty and intensity the scenery remembered from school holidays spent working in East Yorkshire. These works convey the drama and splendour of nature and the pathos of our relationship with it, an ageold subject treated by Hockney with a modern and spirited eye, often informed by his interest in photography and digital media. Spectacular works made using such techniques are also included here. Marco Livingstone explores this bo