Flight: Drawing Interpretations.

19.03.12

Presentation by Caroline Collinge

'A Peepshow with Views of the Interior of a Dutch House', Samuel van Hoogstraten, (c. 1655-60)

The National Gallery, London, Room 25

                                                                Courtesy of the National Gallery, London.

The reason I chose this particular painting is because it is also an object and I am inspired by its three dimensional quality.

At the moment I am studying a PhD at the London College of Fashion looking at ‘costuming space’ - the crossover between architecture, costume and the body. My main question is how I can apply architecture to the body. So finding this object within the gallery would be a very interesting starting point.

This painting inspires me because the views into the box are now visible, so you can look in and see how the image is constructed. I would like to investigate how the artist created these perspectives and then apply these to the physical body.

In terms of the theme of ‘flight’, the viewer is standing outside of the box yet they are looking through into another space. The perspective pulls you through the space so you have the sensation of travelling through the space while simultaneously you are inside the space.

Another element I find particularly interesting is that the painting is reminiscent of a set design for theatre. There is the enigma of whose room it is and the clues are in the space which creates a character through the objects and the clothing represented in the room.

This piece is very interactive. Walking around the gallery, people are drawn to the box, they can get close to it, touch it and it has that playful quality which appeals to people of all ages - children and adults alike.