"I don't look at the work of my contemporaries very much; I tend to look at pictures by dead artists. It's much easier to get near their paintings"

This quote by Howard Hodgkin suggests that he chooses to take a look at the job of musicians who are no more alive. He implies that it is much easier to appreciate the work of dead musicians than it is to value the job of his contemporaries. This might be since the work of dead musicians is much more acquainted and also much easier to comprehend, or since it is much easier to value the job of an artist that is no more alive and can no longer defend their job. It could also be because the job of dead artists is most likely to have been accepted as well as appreciated by the art globe, making it less complicated to value. Whatever the factor, it is clear that Hodgkin favors to take a look at the job of dead musicians as opposed to the job of his contemporaries.