Artist's Studio

The artist's studio is a subject that has inspired artists for centuries. In Patrick Caulfield's version it is as though the canvas itself were the artist's studio, a space where he can give free reign to his imagination. Caulfield is usually associated with Pop art, although here he has used a multitude of artistic styles and subjects in one painting. A stylised postcard view of Mediterranean apartment blocks by the waterside combines with a Turkish jar, a palette and geometrical shapes. The curved lines and spots come from a lampshade that Caulfield had seen in an advertisement; they appealed to him as they reminded him of a commercial artist's idea of modern design. The decorative band of colour across the top comes from a postcard of a Minoan fresco. Caulfield skilfully conjures up harmony from what might at first appear to be randomness. Even the artist's signature is used to good effect.