Ahead of International Women’s Day, we delve into the inspirations of artist Rebecca Salter
Having studied traditional Japanese woodblock printing in Kyoto for six years, the British abstract artist is renowned as a painter whose work combines Western and Eastern traditions. Salter has had several international solo exhibitions and was artist in residence in 2003 and 2011 at the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation, Connecticut.
Her work is in the collections of institutions including Tate, The British Museum, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Victoria and Albert Museum, and Yale University Art Gallery. In 2019 she became the first woman President of the Royal Academy of Arts. ‘In View: Rebecca Salter’ at Gainsborough’s House is her first UK solo museum show and presents her practice in a selection of large-scale paintings in the new Sudbury Gallery (open until March 10). gainsborough.org
My favourite pieces of music are Bach’s Cello Suites played by Yo-Yo Ma (2). Years ago I took several CDs with me on an artist’s residency in a forest, and it was the clear voice within the complex beauty of those compositions that I wanted to listen to most.
When it comes to books that have had a major influence on me, there are two, both exploring the aesthetics of texture and touch: The Eyes of the Skin by Finnish architect Juhani Pallasmaa and In Praise of Shadows by the Japanese novelist Junichiro Tanizaki (6). Elegant and eloquent.
The film I most admire is Double Suicide directed by Masahiro Shinoda (5). It draws on traditions of Japanese puppetry but the stylised interpretation is very contemporary.
My favourite painting is St Jerome Reading a Letter (7) by Georges de la Tour in the Prado in Madrid. I’m not sure why; I think it is the deep sense of intimacy as we observe St Jerome engrossed in silent reading.
My favourite hotel room in the world is a small B&B in the village of Ine (1) on the north coast of Japan’s main island. The houses are built on stilts over the water, and in the morning the fishing boats return under the houses with fresh fish for breakfast.
I collect brushes for the studio. They’re not necessarily expensive. I often find them in hardware stores or pound shops.
My favourite place in the world, apart from London, is Kyoto (4). I studied and lived there for six years and I miss it terribly when I haven’t been back in a while.
My favourite building is the Yale Center for British Art (3) [in New Haven], where I had an exhibition in 2011. Louis Kahn’s sophisticated combination of materials and clever spaces make it an amazing place. The building is incredibly generous to the artist.
The greatest meal I ever had was in Jaisalmer, India. An itinerant musician invited me to taste his wife’s cooking in their home, which turned out to be a tent on a traffic island. Truly humbling hospitality.
This year, I’m looking forward to more time in the studio. It is a treat to have uninterrupted days of quiet exploration.
