4.16: Peter Getting Out of Nick’s Pool
- Page ID
- 362240
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Pixelated image due to a non copyright image available.
Copyrighted image available here: © David Hockney Foundation
Artist: David Hockney
Medium: acrylic on canvas
Art Historical Time Period: Pop Art (1966)
Hockney’s Peter Getting Out of Nick’s Pool depicts his lover Peter Schlesinger rising from the water. In the 1960s, British and American culture were slowly opening to new conversations about sexuality, and Hockney was one of the first major artists to openly celebrate male beauty in a queer context. The pool setting reflects modern leisure and freedom, linking masculinity to youth, health, and pleasure.
Hockney’s innovation was his bright, flat style influenced by Pop Art and photography. The body is not idealized in a classical sense but is presented with clean lines, bold colors, and an everyday setting. By making the nude figure part of a modern, casual environment, Hockney normalized queer desire in art. His use of acrylic paint and contemporary imagery made the work feel both modern and approachable.
The painting’s influence has been lasting. It helped make queer love and male beauty visible in fine art, inspiring future generations of LGBTQ+ artists. Hockney’s pool scenes remain iconic, connecting masculinity with intimacy, sunlight, and modern life. Today, they are celebrated as milestones in both art history and queer cultural history.
Vocabulary
- acrylic – a fast-drying type of paint invented in the 20th century
- queer – relating to LGBTQ+ identities, often reclaimed positively
- Pop Art – an art movement using popular culture and bright, bold colors
Student Authors
- Rodrigo Cavade ’27 and Kelly Marino ‘27
References
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