For this research I was asked to find contemporary artists who focus on domestic interiors, analyse their choice of content, medium, format, etc. and consider how their work reflects its context in terms of era, fashion, mood, current issues, and so on.
Ken Howard OBE, RA (British, 1932)
This artist came to mind immediately, and a beautiful piece of work by him that I saw at one of the summer exhibitions at the Royal Academy of Art. I love Ken Howard’s work, his domestic interiors look to me almost like theatrical scenes, always incredibly skilfully done, in which he emphasises shining light, often reflecting off glossy surfaces such as the floors, tables or glass.
His subjects are mostly rooms with character viewed from unusual perspectives, often from a far corner and always very interesting, rewarding the eye when the whole room is examined.
What I also like very much is that he always places a person in the scene, in a very natural position, not at all contrived, posed or dominant, which cleverly avoids any sense of absence or sadness which might otherwise have been felt with an empty room, making the whole scene restful and personal.
Examples of Ken Howard’s work -
Anthony Eyton RA (British 1923)
Eyton’s Staircase by Night is more in the impressionist style, giving a sense of depth and a kind of ghostly atmosphere. I find it very engaging, as despite the absence of a figure, the portrait format gives me the impression that someone is about to emerge from the top of the stairs at any moment.
David Hockney OM, CH, RA (British, 1937)
The bright colours and style of Hockney’s works make them very agreeable and cheerful. The perspective he uses is neat and simple, and despite being almost two-dimensional he manages to create a sense of depth, by the use of light and shadow.
His is a very modern and unusual style of painting, and with notable exceptions, the majority of his domestic interior scenes contain very accomplished portraits with two or more people in them.
Examples are -
