Patrick Caulfield was one of the pioneers of British Pop Art, his work is my favourite from a British artist and I actually bought, 'I've only the friendship of hotel rooms' (top left) to celebrate my 30th birthday!
Caulfield was born in London, in January 1936 but was brought up in Bolton, Lancashire until his family returned to London after WW2. He completed his 3 year national service in the RAF and went on to study at both the Chelsea School of Art and the Royal College of Art, before his first solo exhibition in 1965. Throughout his career he has exhibited his work world-wide, but unbeknown to many he designed sets and costumes for the Royal Ballet's, 'Party Game' and Fredrick Ashton's, 'Rhapsody', both at the Royal Opera House, as well as being commissioned to design the atrium carpet in the British Council offices, Manchester and a giant mosaic for the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff.
His paintings and prints, make me smile, the subject matter is quite often a little piece of everyday life that usually gets overlooked; a crack in the curtains, the edge of a table or the window ledge. They imitate themes of traditional paintings, like the still life, but in a wonderfully colourful, graphic style and the trademark bold outline. Some say his work is more introspective than that of his fellow Pop Artists, but I disagree - to me his work is witty & vibrant, and far more intriguing than his counterparts.
Screen prints from the, 'Some Poems of Jules Laforgue' a book illustrated by Caulfield are available signed and unsigned from the Goldmark Gallery and St Paul's Gallery.
Images copyright Patrick Caulfield.
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