Chris Thompson
The Botanist's House
The Botanist's House
Original oil on canvas, framed in a floating white wood tray frame measuring 43 x 53 cm.
Here we are led up a tiled pathway, through blossoming trees and towards a glasshouse containing an abundant wilderness. The inspiration for this piece started with the story of Loddiges of Hackney, a Victorian hothouse and renowned nursery which used to sit close to the site of Hackney Town Hall. In execution and reimagining, Chris was then inspired by John Fothergill’s Botanic Garden created in the late 18th century - in what is now West Ham Park. Fothergill was a Physician and a Philanthropist who received rare species to cultivate in lieu of payments for his work as a Physician. At the time glasshouses were extremely rare due to a prohibitive tax on glass - a detail which re-appears throughout this exhibition.
The Artist
The Artist
Looking closely at light and shadow, Chris blends painterly realism with intriguing narrative. He pays attention to the everyday, the half-noticed and the overlooked. From an isolated building next to a canal to an unremarkable row of houses - Chris collects imagery which has sparked his imagination and transforms it. By placing these single houses into unexpected rural spaces he changes the context and thus creates a new narrative - steeped in otherness, nostalgic beauty and a hint of the surreal. A black and white cat traces his every step.
Framing
Framing
This artwork is framed in a white wood floating tray frame, ready to hang.
Delivery
Delivery
£40 insured delivery UK wide.
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