The Toilet 1955

John Bratby painted "The Toilet" with oil on canvas, at an unknown date. It’s so great that he’s noticed the beauty in the mundane; it's a painting of a toilet! The heavy impasto, with its thick, tactile brushstrokes, gives the painting a real sense of immediacy. The yellow is so dominant, like an enveloping glow. Look at how Bratby uses the paint almost sculpturally, especially around the toilet roll. Each stroke feels deliberate, a little world of its own, building up this everyday scene. That single, almost comical, roll of toilet paper has such tenderness, like a little monument to the domestic. I love the way he fearlessly dives into the ordinary, elevating it with a bold palette and expressive mark-making. The influence of Van Gogh springs to mind, Bratby shares that same commitment to emotional honesty. He shows us that art can be found in the most unexpected places.