Contemporary artists who focus on domestic interiors.
I have chosen to do this piece of work prior to drawing any more images of my own. I feel that I need more exposure to the work of experienced artists so that I have more ideas to base my own interpretations around.
There are one or two things that I need to clear up before I begin to look at this. The first is to find out what constitutes a "contemporary" artist. I find from
that the answer is "divinely simple". It says that contemporary means "in our lifetime" although of course that depends entirely on how old you are. It would be quite possible for an elderly person to straddle "modern" and "contemporary". According to the website "contemporary art" raised its head in the 1960/70's as the world had its fill of "modern art". At this time art became less easily classified. For my purposes I will take the line that anything from the 70's onwards is "contemporary".
The second definition I need to check is what constitutes a "domestic interior". The page in my course folder seems to indicate that the inside of a room is fair game (the Anthony Greene) but also that figures can be included (the Philip Pearlstein). Various definitions I've looked at merely say "inside" so I suppose it can mean anything from figures to furniture to still life.
Carole Rabe
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| Carole Rabe (1) |
Carole Rabe is an American artist who paints in oils; something I admire but have never tried. Her artists statement is like a list of the things I'm encouraged to observe on this course:
Intense observation and my response to what is around me is how I receive my inspiration. The way the light hits a countertop or the side of a chair is the spark that gets the painting started. The colour of light influences the colour of the objects and creates interactions between disparate things. My paintings are about relationships between these elements. My imagery is personal; I need some connection to my subject matter in order for me to claim it in a painting. I work from direct observation; I am very interested in how the human eye perceives the things around us, and how the hand and heart work to put the image down on canvas. (1)One of her paintings reminds me of the sketch I did looking down the hall.
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| Front Hallway - Carole Rabe. Oil on canvas 10 X 10 (1) |
This oil painting is 10 x 10 which is a square format I've not tried. It tends to look in portrait format because of the vertical doors. There is very little by way of household items in the painting; it is mostly reliant on vertical lines and light and has very little detail. The colours are light so I think it is a modern home and from the artists statement (and the way I receive the work) I feel it is a very well loved place.
My sketches involved doors and Rabe's work features many of them.
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| Early Fall Afternoon - Carole Rabe. Oil on canvas 18 x 24 (1) |
I find this oil painting intriguing because it gives a tantalising amount of information about what is in the rooms. Once again the lines are mostly vertical, the bed head, the minimal line of the chair back and the door panels. I am immediately transported to New England where we had a holiday in the Fall. I would happily spend a night in such a comfortable looking bed.
Rabe's work is home based and very accessible. That is not to say it isn't challenging from the point of view of perspective and interpretation. I love it.
Colley Whisson
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| Colley Whisson (2) |
Colley Whisson is an Australian and another artist who paints in oils although he uses board rather than canvas. He was raised in rural surroundings and developed a great love of the outdoors. Much of his work is evidence of this attachment. However there are one or two paintings that show his sensitivity towards interior spaces as well as the wider world.
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| A March Moment QLD - Colley Whisson. Oil on board 10 x 7 (2) |
This painting has a still quality that I find very appealing. We only half see anything - only part of the window and is it a table the flowers are on? Who knows. There is a rusticity about the room with painted brickwork and wild flowers. Whisson says
I am aiming to tell a visual story with clarity and sophistication but I'm also driven to distort and abstract the image as much as possible while maintaining a realistic image. (2)
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| A Sunny Morn USA - Colly Whisson. Oil on board 12 x 9 (2) |
This is very different in feel but then it is a continent away in USA and American interiors are very recognisable. There is much more detail here but the same playing with light and shadow. It is a busier picture than I truly like but it has depth and interest. I notice that as we move into the back of the room the work becomes more representational.
Liza Hirst
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| Liza Hirst (4) |
Liza Hirst is based in London and has a wide repertoire among which is a range of interiors. Her style is loose and representational and her work seems to be on oil on board but only some are labelled. I'm sticking with the theme of considering my own work as well and I find I can do it easily with Hirst's work. The first piece I have selected involves a door.
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| View to the Dining Room - Liza Hirst. Oil on board? (3) |
I am finding that the glimpse into a room is a device many painters use and it's a very captivating way to show a room but also leave lots to the imagination. The way the light on the table takes the colour away is lesson and also the heavy use of purple which at first glance I didn't see. I'm also interested to see how Hirst has dealt with the window. I avoided it in my sketching because I was so uncertain about how to render it.
This painting has me making assumptions; because the furniture is traditional (maybe Edwardian?) could this be the home of an elderly person? I also imagine there is lots of similar furniture around the corner.
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| An Elegant House - Liza Hirst. Oil on board? (3) |
I chose this because it bears similarities to my sketch and the Front Hallway by Carole Rabe. The most obvious thing I see is the incomplete way the bottom of the door has been rendered. Once again there is scant detail but the foremost door frame has a little more information than was the case with Rabe. I wonder if it is same house as the previous image - I think it might be and I also think it might be a draughty corridor.
I don't feel this artist has the same connection with her surroundings as Rabe and Whisson. Perhaps there isn't the personal involvement that Rabe has.
Penny Graham
Penny Graham is known for her intense use of colour and the way she can depict a whole room. It is a very different approach to that of the other artists I have investigated.There is no information on the website regarding a title and size of the images. However, Graham usually works in gouache and ink on her smaller paintings and oil for the larger ones.
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| This shows an almost panoramic view of the room with lots of detail (5) |
Graham says "I like you to feel immersed" (5) and from this I deduce that she too, is immersed. The feeling of wanting to be connected to the room resonates with that of Rabe. Graham likes painting all interiors except those that are unused because they lack personality - she likes to get the feeling of occupancy even if there aren't actually people in the picture.
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| A less panoramic view but still quite wide comparatively speaking. (5) |
I chose this second image because it has mirror and that gives a sense of openness. The books invite the viewer onto the settee possibly after lighting the fire.
I have enjoyed looking at the work of these very talented people and got a much better feel for the possibilities. I think the main thing I have learnt is that the rules remain the same (composition etc, etc) no matter what the area of work.
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