As she prepares to open a new exhibition of her work at the Saatchi Gallery, Nancy Cadogan explores the close connections between art and interiors in her own works and those of her favourite artists.
Art’s connection with interiors has been a long and fruitful one: from the fanciful rooms in Roman wall paintings to the refined domestic scenes of the Dutch Golden Age. The artist Nancy Cadogan, who is about to open a new exhibition, Mind Zero, at the Saatchi Gallery this September, frequently depicts interiors in her work. Her intimate, vividly colourful paintings convey the joy of everyday domestic life, and the great pleasure of being in one’s own personal space, surrounded by beautiful things. Here she explains how the houses in her life have influenced her work, and talks us through some of the artists whose paintings of interiors have resonated particularly over the years.
‘Like many people, I am hugely influenced by the space around me; interiors feed my imagination and that comes through in the subjects I paint. I grew up in a Victorian rectory which is full of wallpaper and patterns in the English tradition, and four years ago I moved back into that house. I have been adding my own bold, colourful style to the place, and the experience of transforming the space and putting my own stamp on it has had a massive impact on my work. The paintings in my new show were mostly created in this house, which is filled with memories.
Of the artworks that depict interiors, I tend to be drawn to the more warm and welcoming ones. Matisse’s paintings of rooms are full of the vibrant colour I love, as are the works of his contemporary Pierre Bonnard. These have had a great influence on me, as have the equally colourful works of David Hockney. But Vermeer’s gentler, more contemplative paintings of the houses of his sixteenth-century countrymen are incredibly beautiful to me as well.’
