Collage Artist- Richard Hamilton

Richard Hamilton

Interior II (1964)

Richard Hamilton was a British painter and collage artist, and is thought to be one of the founders of the ‘Pop art’ movement.

His piece ‘Interior II’ stood out to me the most, compared with his other works, because of its simplicity and effective use of blank space. I like how a seemingly normal-looking interior has been created using lots of individual images- it isn’t until closer inspection when you become aware of the peculiarity of it. The combination of textures and colours gives variety, making it pleasing on the eye, and interesting to look at- the light wood grain on the wall and floor-boards in the foreground contrast with the flat colours surrounding the rest of the room. However, through the archway, another, more detailed room can be seen. The musty wall behind the woman adds perspective and depth to the piece, as does the dark-coloured floor and array of furniture. The cutout of the woman is where my eyes are immediately drawn. I think this is because she doesn’t seem to belong there- the room is full of bright, flat colour, whereas she is in monochrome, and has a vast amount of shadowing and detail. This may have hinted at how the design of the home was progressing much faster than personal fashion (i.e. clothing) of that period.

I would like to base my final collage upon Hamilton’s style- hopefully retaining the sense of simplicity, but also providing a powerful composition which sparks questions and curiosity.