Katherine Throne
The Dilemma of Decor
A study of design history reveals the long-held prominent position decoration enjoyed until the late 1800s. The rise of modernism in the early twentieth century irrevocably changed that status forever, along with the visual ideology of our architecture, interiors and art. In tracing the fracturing and elimination of the decorative from both interior design and art, my practice explores the antagonistic battle between the opposing aesthetics of the feminine decorative and masculine modern.
The idea of a struggle to overpower and contain has become a key theme in my paintings, determining not only the materials I use, but the manner in which I apply (as a cover) and subtract them (tearing off or resisting).
