Battenberg – Green − 2017

In 2017 Furr created a series of monoprints in four different handpainted colourways for sale at the Art Car Boot Fair in London. They all use the first Battenberg painting as the source image. The work depicts a supermarket bought battenberg displayed in a monochromatic green wash. The jam is picked out in green oil pastel.

Christian describes his thinking with this work:
"When I worked with Gered Mankowitz on our 45RPM collection in the same year as this battenberg series 2017, we created a Marianne with Flowers all in green. I really liked it and thought I would create a battenberg in a similar vein. Green has so many meanings and how the viewer interprets it is personal. I couldn't help thinking of Jimmy Webb's lyrics to his song 'MacArthur Park'

"All the sweet green icing flowing down, Someone left my cake out in the rain"

Christian describes the inspiration for the Batteneberg series:

"I read that Leonie Orton, the writer Joe Orton's sister published a book about her memories of Joe and this was a memory from the book... "And then there was the cake. Joe appeared from the kitchenette holding aloft a plate in the middle of which sat a battenberg. He was parading in front of us, holding the plate like an exhibit at an auction. Turning the plate around he began to elucidate on it's wonderful so magical qualities; the pink and yellowness of the sponge and the precision of the marzipan. They both agreed it was as perfect as a cake could be. To me it was just an ordinary factory produced Lyons Battenberg but they were discussing it like it was a work of art."
After choosing to paint it, I remembered that it was my Dad’s favourite cake too.
To me a Battenberg is as valid a subject as Durer's grass in 'The Great Piece of Turf' To me it is 'The Great Piece of Cake' Maybe I am a connoisseur of ordinariness as I do find beauty in the mundane and like to put it on a pedestal by painting it."- Christian Furr 2017