David Hockney.

There are few artists of the modern era that are more popular and distinctive than David Hockney. Born in 1937 in Bradford he is now a recognisable force in the contemporary art world. A programme on BBC 2 on Saturday Hockney was brilliant and brought to life his development as an artist. He was clearly a prodigious talent and went on to be part of the 'swinging sixties' with the art dealer Kasmin and many others. He went to LA and lived there for many years. He said that he was "brought up in Bradford and Hollywood" as he watched so many pictures at the local cinema. This was all  prior to ubiquitous TV as it is today. So the last of the generation that had cinema as the route into the world. His parents were a big influence on him and his father said something that had an indelible impact "don't worry what the neighbours say". Good advice from any father to his son.