Joe Hargan
The Venetian Effect
| price | £ 6500 |
|---|---|
| type | Oil |
| size | 28 x 28 inches |
| location | Stow on the Wold 01451 832563 |
View more Scottish Joe Hargan art
Joe Hargan’s The Venetian Effect is one of those paintings that immediately tells you you’re in Hargan’s world — theatrical, witty, slightly surreal, and full of coded visual jokes. Even without Read more
seeing the canvas, the title and Hargan’s signature style give us a very clear sense of what’s happening.
The scene is set in a lavish interior, typical of Hargan’s “Sniffy” series — polished floors, rich fabrics, and a sense of upper‑class eccentricity. The figure (Sniffy himself) appears dressed in costume. The costume isn’t just decorative — it becomes a metaphor for identity, performance, and social pretence, themes Hargan loves to play with. The colours are bold and saturated: blues, golds, blacks, and jewel tones that echo the drama of Venice’s Carnevale.
Hargan’s interiors are always meticulously arranged, almost like stage sets. Reflections in polished surfaces; animals and ornamental objects placed with deliberate humour. A sense that the character is being watched — or performing
