My Life in Art - Tom Christy
Here at The Heseltine Gallery, we are excited to bring to you ‘My Life in Art’, a new series for our blog #LOVEArt. We will be asking our art-loving friends to choose five or six artworks that represent their life, starting with the Head of Art at Chenderit School, Tom Christy. He has explained his choices, telling us what each image means to him. Thank you, Tom, for sharing your life in art with us!
Woman Reading a Letter by Johannes Vermeer (c. 1663)
Johannes Vermeer, Woman Reading a Letter, c. 1663, oil on canvas, 46.5 x 39 cm (Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam)
Tom: When I was a child, we would visit my Grandma in her flat in Streatham, London. She had a print of this image hanging in the front room. I always wondered what the story behind the image was, and wanted to know what the letter said. The woman looked so lonely and sad, and that resonated with how I imagined my grandma might feel, living by herself surrounded by people, but far away from us as her family. I find it interesting how painting can do that, how it can make these emotional links to a specific time and place within each individual’s memory.
Study for Homage to the Square: Departing in Yellow by Josef Albers (1964)
Josef Albers, Study for Homage to the Square: Departing in Yellow, 1964, oil paint on fibreboard, 76.2 x 76.2 cm (Tate, London)
Tom: Growing up, we had this really weird yellow embroidered cushion on a chair in the front room. It was completely out of place with everything else in the room. I just couldn’t understand why we hadn’t chucked it away. It turned out that on an early date, my mum and dad had gone to The Tate Gallery and stood in front of this painting. My dad had said that he really liked it, so some time later my mum had gone away and made the cushion and given it to him as a gift. I have no idea where that cushion is now. I hope they haven’t thrown it away.
$he by Richard Hamilton (1958-61)
Richard Hamilton, $he, 1958-61, oil paint, cellulose nitrate paint, paper and plastic on wood, 121.9 x 81.3 cm (Tate, London)
Tom: When I was about 16, I went to London by myself to visit an exhibition of work by the artist Richard Hamilton. It felt just about the most grown-up thing I had ever done. Travelling on the train, wandering the streets, finding my way around, going to a gallery. I felt invincible. This picture was my favourite from the exhibition. I loved the way it suggested objects without defining them. It felt so much more sophisticated than any artwork I’d seen before. It made me want to draw and paint and collage and be creative. It doesn’t get better than that.
House by Rachel Whiteread (1993)
Rachel Whiteread, House, 1993, concrete (Grove Road, East London)
Tom: I was an art student at university when this artwork was created. One of my tutors was mates with Whiteread, so it felt like there was a connection. I went to visit it in the East End. It was a time when the art world seemed to be changing, there was this feeling that anything was possible, that new ideas were emerging and that the world was changing for the better. It was a strange artwork to visit; next to a park and far away from a gallery setting. I loved the idea that art could be anything or anywhere and loved the controversy and discussion it created. It was never meant to last forever: the artwork was torn down about a week after I saw it.
Self Portrait by Chuck Close (1999)
Chuck Close, Self Portrait, 1999, screenprint on paper, 148.2 x 121.9 cm (Heather James Fine Art)
Tom: In the late 1990s, all my friends seemed to live in London, so I was forever visiting exhibitions and then meeting up with them all. London felt like the centre of the universe, and I enjoyed my time in this massive web of connections. The Chuck Close exhibition at The Hayward absolutely blew my mind. Close is a fascinating artist. His early career is incredible, but after he suffered a spinal artery collapse in the 1980s his style and approach had to completely change. His images challenge the way we look at the world, but understanding his own personal battles make them so much more powerful. What an inspiration!
All Schools Should be Art Schools by Bob and Roberta Smith (2014)
Bob and Roberta Smith, All Schools Should be Art Schools, 2014
Tom: You know that Bob and Roberta Smith is just one person, right? I love the process here, with text based images being created from domestic paint and left over materials. This is about art being for everyone and about artists taking a stand and trying to change the world, a little bit at a time. I love the way the image is unpolished and raw. The message is clear. All schools should be art schools. We need more artists in the world, not because we need more pretty pictures, but because we need creativity and integrity and a way to question and challenge the establishment. Here’s to that.
Why do you #LOVEArt?
Tom:
“Art is not a mirror to reflect the world, but a hammer with which to shape it.”
“Beware of artists. They mix with all classes of society and are therefore the most dangerous.”