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Research point – Domestic interiors

Updated: Aug 29, 2018

For this analysis I choose contemporary artist from different cities of the world. Because, I believe, it is much more exiting to compare tradition of the local school and representation of the nationality. But I will not have in this research an overall comparison.

Domestic Interior or “The interior portrait (portrait d'intérieur) or, in German, Zimmerbild (room picture), is a pictorial genre that appeared in Europe near the end of the 17th century and enjoyed a great vogue in the second half of the 19th century.” [Wikipedia [Online] Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interior_portrait [Accessed 27/08/18] It is interesting to admit that interior as a fashion will always change, so interest to this type of portrait remains in-demand.

In order to make an analyse simple I’m going to discuss next research points:

· Choice of content

· Medium

· Format

· Reflection of the era, fashion, mood


United Kingdom


Susan Jessop 'Reading Room' and Anthony Green, The Family / Sherborne St John from United Kingdom. Both of the artists work mostly with this genre of art. In comparison to each other I could admit a difference between woman and man work. Susan Jessop crates collages and uses gouache as the main material. She breaks the space in her work(s) and her point of view can be from different angles and perspective. This technique allows a viewer to add own “story” as a continuation of the particular image. This work is not big around 15 x 30 centimetres which support the intimacy of this composition. A small boy is reading a book. Together with warm colour of the trees and grass we easily can feel this feeling. It can be a book which gives a boy calmness and peace. Or it can be feeling out of the situation itself. That’s why I choose this work. This art piece reminds me of childhood in my Dacha (Russian countryside) which makes me like this work. But the era and fashion in this collage presented rather from the past. And if to analyze works of S. Jessop they are always referring to the past. So I would say it’s a kind of reflection on the moments which were nice and “lovely” and now they are brought back.


Anthony Green’s work the medium is MDF and the size is 130 x 261.5 cms. I believe the choice of material is due to the structure of the composition. The material should be resistant and strong to all the changes of configuration as his artworks have an interesting use of perspective and unusual shapes of form. The artist chooses the content of life-routine and he builds out of this a small world, as the same Susan Jessop’s method, with which a spectator can research and imagine image further. As Anthony Green reflects a life of the middle class so we can see common furniture and daily family stories.

If compare this two artists we can admit the melancholy and softness (of colour, forms, content and material) of one artist and masculine approach to another work. Second work come across more confident because of sharp composition, bright colours and active (messy, overloaded) content.


Sweden


Swedish artist and work I want to analyse is Mamma Andersson, The Lonely Ones. Work is done on panel size 50.5 x 120 cm. It is a mirror reflection – one part more contrast compare to another. But if the reflection as it is presented we can’t be sure. Which part is real? This work I like best out of previous works, as it gives you a space for your thoughts. Not visual imagination but for mental work. This is what I believe as a “proper art”. They take content and ask rather than depict. Susan Jessop and Anthony Green were just telling us their stories.

Through the content of minimalistic furnishing the artist rise questions about everything and nothing. The size of work not competing to be biggest and at the same time it is long which creates narrative intrigue.


Russia


Dmitry Zhilinsky Portrait A.A. and P.L. Kapitsa size 120 × 110 cm. I think everything that happens in Russia and with Russians is because of territory. Why would you paint windows with the size of 1 meter 20 centimetres? Because of space. Ok, if serious – it is a well organized and made academic painting. How contemporary this work? Depends whom you will ask. Many people would confirm that it is a reality in Russian Dacha (we learned this word before), which I by the way like also. Snow is outside, the warm and cosy atmosphere is inside. But we know that C. Greenberg had his opinion about Repin and everything that is academic. So I would say that this work is not contemporary at all and boring with its content.

This work is not particular about an interior portrait. I include it especially here because of artwork definition. On most presented works there are people but some works we judge as an interior portrait and some as a portrait of people.

A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. [Wikipedia [Online] Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrait [Accessed 28/08/18] Zhilinsky work in between both.


Japan


Yayoi Kusamas “For Flower Obsession (2017) guests were given artificial gerbera daisies and flower stickers to place on any surface of their choosing, completely covering the faux-apartment by the end of the triennial’s four-month run.” USA art news. Yayoi Kusama’s “Flower Obsession” 23.04.2018 [Online] Available from: https://usaartnews.com/events/motion/yayoi-kusamas-flower-obsession [Accessed 28/08/18]

Medium and format declared by installation location and material of the flowers. In terms of choice of the content Yayoi Kusamas transfers her childhood memories about a tablecloth into this form. But with integrating viewers the artist trigger the background and the context of each person. Why would you stick your gerbera on a chair or a ceiling? And, probably, when on the table there are still two open places but you have only one flower it will disturb you? She challenges your imagination and again like a contemporary artist she raises questions rather than create an object.

United States


Anna Valdez, Laptop with a landscape, oil on canvas, 81,28 x 76,2 centimetres. Objects on the artwork would be bigger than in reality so I think this could give rather a comic appreciation with decorative elements. Stains of a bright colour are painted detailed and with love which again represents typical “woman art”. Content is rather narrative and doesn’t have a big aftertaste. Can we call it contemporary? With objects depicted, as they are modern elements, probably yes, but with content and medium, I would say not, as it is a light canvas with a bit arrangement of one type of colour on the even surface.



Bibliography and references

Anna Valdez, Laptop with a landscape, 2014, oil on canvas, 32 x 30 inches [Online] Available from: http://www.maakemagazine.com/anna-valdez/ [Accessed 23/08/18]

Susan Jessop 'Reading Room' Collage and gouache 6 x 12 inches 2017 [Online] Available from: https://susanjessop.com/section/453272-Story-Collage.html [Accessed 23/08/18]

Anthony Green, The Family / Sherborne St John, 2013, 130 x 261.5 cms, oil on mdf [Online] Available from: http://www.anthonygreen.org.uk/paintings.html [Accessed 23/08/18]

Mamma Andersson, The Lonely Ones, 2008, Oil on panel in two parts, 50.5 x 120cm, (20 x 47 1/4in) [Online] Available from: http://www. StephenFriedman.com/artists/mamma-andersson/artwork [Accessed 23/08/18]

Dmitry Zhilinsky, Portrait A.A. and P. L. Kapitsa. 1979, Wood, tempera. 120 × 110 cm. Novosibirsk State Art Museum [Online] Available from: https://www.tg-m.ru/articles/4-2007-17/vystavka- [Accessed 23/08/18]

USA art news. Yayoi Kusama’s “Flower Obsession” 23.04.2018 [Online] Available from: https://usaartnews.com/events/motion/yayoi-kusamas-flower-obsession [Accessed 28/08/18]

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