"For Gretchen Scherer, centuries-old rooms in grand houses and institutions serve as the foundation for an ongoing series of paintings of luminous interiors. She starts with photos sourced online, from books, and that she snaps herself, in addition to drawing inspiration from artists like Narcissa Niblack Thorne, who commissioned meticulously crafted miniatures of period rooms to house her vast collection of 1:12-scale furniture. Scherer then tries to "open up" the space, as she describes it, toying a bit with perspective."
"The artist's lively, illustrative paintings of historic rooms brim with paintings and period furnishings that transport us to earlier eras while emphasizing a bright, contemporary palette. Every object, be it a book, a candlestick, or a noble portrait above a mantle, is given equal attention, drawing our eye around the canvas like a two-dimensional cabinet of curiosities. There's so much going on that one can imagine miniature compositions within the larger one, as doorways open"
Gretchen Scherer paints luminous interior scenes drawn from centuries-old rooms in grand houses, museums, and historic estates. She gathers reference from online photographs, books, and her own snapshots, and looks to Narcissa Niblack Thorne's meticulously crafted 1:12-scale period-room miniatures for inspiration. Scherer manipulates perspective to "open up" spaces and composes salon-style groupings that treat every object—books, candlesticks, portraits—with equal attention. The paintings combine period furnishings and stacked portraits with a bright, contemporary palette, producing dense, illustrative canvases that read like two-dimensional cabinets of curiosities and suggest miniature compositions within larger interiors.
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