Drawing and Painting Interiors

I visited the Fitz William Museum in Cambridge and the National Gallery in London to view works by Johannes Vermeer and his contemporaries. I particularly liked "The Music Lesson" and "Lady seated at Virginals" as examples of interior perspective in which he has captured the effects of light through his use of tone. In both pieces he has used windows as a source of side lighting and tiled floor pattern to enhance to the feel of perspective. Your eye is drawn to the person in the composition which provides a point of rest and focus.

Working in my study, I prepared a number of pencil perspective sketches of my own, both from standing and sitting view points.
The use of perspective within the closed room draws the eye into the composition. The space I have chosen is quite busy with many objects on work surfaces and shelves making it harder for the eye to rest on any particular object. The sketches were prepared fairly quickly with a simple indication of tone through the use of cross hatch marks.

Including the window in the composition as Vermeer has in some of his images, provides a visible light source. It also suggests a link with another space beyond the room creating a sense of mystery.

The view from the study across the hall towards my kitchen seems to draw the eye through the space with nowhere to rest and focus. The open door draws the eye into the middle space which is quite a complex space with the staircase, stairwell and doorways leading into other rooms.

I decided to paint the view into the hall as I found this the most challenging subject. I sketched out the composition onto a prepared support and started blocking in the main areas. In order to capture the colour of the hall ceiling I experimented with blue greys and orange/brown greys as there was reflected colour from sunlight and the carpet. Ultimately I settled on a cool blue grey but am still not happy with the outcome. The composition also made me feel uncomfortable as my eye had nowhere to rest. I therefore added a blue coat and shoes in the hallway which I feel succeeded in creating sufficient focus. On completion I realised that I had not got the perspective of the picture frames correct neither had I achieved sufficient contrast in tone or brilliance between the three zones of foreground (study), middle ground (hall) the distance (kitchen and landing). Technically too I found that controlling a paint brush less responsive than a pen or pencil so the marks defining edges are not as straight or even as I intended.