THOSE who prefer a well-painted landscape to a diamond-studded skull or a roasted corgi now have a culprit to blame for the contentious state of contemporary art: the iPod.

The artist David Hockney believes the ubiquitous music player is contributing to a decline in visual awareness that is damaging art and painting in particular. It even makes people dress badly.

Speaking on the eve of his 70th birthday, Britain's best-loved living painter said the proliferation of iPods - Apple has sold more than 100 million worldwide - and other digital music players has combined with a decline in art education to create a "fallow period of painting".