Treatment room 1984

Richard Hamilton made this installation, "Treatment Room," by using mixed media. It's cool how the whole room becomes the artwork. When I look at this, I feel like I'm in some strange doctor's office, or maybe a movie set? The bed is so stark and white, but then there's this cozy blanket thrown on it. It reminds me of how painting itself is like a treatment room, a space to work through ideas and emotions, layer by layer. Hamilton, like many artists, uses ordinary objects to suggest a bigger picture. He probably wanted us to think about illness, or media, or how we see the world. It's a bit like Kurt Schwitters, using trash to make art; or Hannah Hoch's collages, grabbing images to create a new reality. This piece feels very much in that lineage of modern art, where everyday life gets turned into something poetic and strange. The point is, artists are always talking to each other across time. They inspire each other to see things differently, and to turn those visions into something we can all experience.