Is David Hockney right to say painting is an old man's art?

At 78, the artist is working harder than ever as he prepared to exhibit 83 new works in London. But does experience make every artist better with the years?

David Hockney among friends: a triumphant return to portraiture

David Hockney says he’ll keep on painting into his 80s and may well have his greatest work ahead of him. “The Chinese have a saying,” the 78-year-old told the Radio Times. “Painting is an old man’s art. I told Lucian Freud that a long time ago. I think it is, actually. It means it’s an accumulation of things.”

Is Hockney right? Do painters get better with age? There is no question Freud got better as he matured. Was this the accumulation of skill? Partly, yet it also reflected a greater freedom. Freud braved more and dared more the older he got. His brushwork, which in his youth was careful and precise, became more suggestive and sensual. Early paintings by Freud such as Interior at Paddington (1951) are striking but his greatness lies on masterpieces such as his portraits of performance artist Leigh Bowery with their heroic admiration for the flesh.

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