The Rivalry of Flowers

A book of new paintings and works by Shani Rhys James, one of Britain’s leading and most distinctive artists, this collection reveals how her latest work has developed a lighter palette to deal with new subjects of flowers and colorful, patterned wallpaper backgrounds. These themes of domesticity are not anodyne however, but informed by Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s 1892 short story about the plight of women in the home, “The Yellow Wallpaper.” Rhys James’ paintings continue her exploration of the position of women in society, and in particular how women can be imprisoned by consumerism and the domestic environment. The more than 50 images in the book include photographs of a new development in Rhys James’s automata based on the motifs of past paintings. The paintings are accompanied by a foreword by the artist and critic William Packer, a perceptive interview of Rhys James by Francesca Rhydderch, in which the artist discusses her background and her interest in the position of women, and an essay by Edward Lucie-Smith that explores her paintings in an art history context.