A Preference for Crisps

1979
Robinson, Bob
Bob Robinson came to painting late in life: he first visited a gallery in his twenties and only later decided to pursue a career as an artist following a conversation with his landlord. Robinson’s paintings reflect his interest in the tensions of domestic life and everyday dramas portrayed in images that suggest an implicit narrative. In works like ‘A Preference for Crisps’, Robinson drew on a range of familiar domestic imagery from his own home, including mail order catalogues, car showroom brochures and wallpaper sample books, to create his skewed vernacular scenes. The narrative in this early work is centred around an everyday situation: two friends having a meal in a cafe. The subject of the painting has abandoned his meal in favour of a packet of crisps and is ignoring his companion’s offer of a cigarette as he is distracted by the activity within the cafe. The composition of the painting, with its clearly delineated graphic patterns and flattened perspective, is typical of Robinson’s style during this early stage of his career.
  • Artwork Details: 76 x 61cm
  • Edition:
  • Material description: acrylic on canvas
  • Credit line: © the artist
  • Theme: Figurative
  • Medium: Painting
  • Accession number: AC 3070

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The Arts Council Collection is the UK's most widely seen collection of modern and contemporary art.

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