3 February
–
23 April 2006
Section
2: Looking at BritainJohn Bratby 1928-1992
The Toilet 1955
© Estate of the Artist
John Bratby attended the Royal College of Art from 1951-4 where he met the critic John Berger. Berger's support of the socially concerned figurative artists associated with Kitchen Sink realism reflected his position as an independent Marxist critic. This painting by Bratby represents an extreme depiction of raw reality and basic living conditions; the work exemplifies the garish colours and bold, expressive technique employed by the Kitchen Sink artists. Bratby made three paintings of lavatories around this time - all focus exclusively on the toilet and are very direct in both subject and colour.
