Marcelle Joseph Projects proudly presents Hunting Dogs, Hunting Cats, the first solo exhibition of paintings by English artist Charlie Billingham. With a touch of humour, Billingham’s paintings parody caricatures of 18th and 19th century political and social satirists, such as James Gillray and George Cruikshank. The main subjects of Billingham’s works are often minor characters and animals from the referenced cartoons, cropped and enlarged and portrayed in splashy colour combinations. For the viewer, this medley of perspective, composition and colour illicits playful surprise and offers a contemporary portrayal of 18th and 19th century subjects. For this series of twelve oil on canvas paintings, Billingham depicts images of dogs and cats inspired by his stay at Great Fosters, a historic hunting lodge, earlier this year and referencing paintings and engravings done by George Stubbs in the 18th century and Sir Edwin Henry Landseer, RA in the 19th century.
When asked about his colour choices, Charlie says, ‘I look out for colour combinations in my day to day life which appeal to me, and then use them in my paintings; these are often from clothes I've seen people wear, interiors in magazines, colours in other people's paintings and artworks, food, TV, etc.’
