I was first introduced to Peter Greenaway when I caught a snippet of the movie The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989) late on terrestrial television.

I was shocked by the movie with its sudden explosions of violence and crudity mixed with an opulent atmosphere of dread. Over time I grew to appreciate the film and I became curious to explore others by the same director.

In the age of streaming that desire to consume can easily be satiated and I binged on films such as A Zed & Two Noughts, Drowning by Numbers and The Belly of an Architect.

However, it was Peter Greenaway’s first fiction feature, released in 1982, which really surprised me, at just how accessible it was to a mainstream audience.

The Draughtsman’s Contract (1982) is set in late 17th century England. Mrs Herbert hires Mr Neville, an ambitious and arrogant young artist, to produce 12 drawings of her husband’s grand Wiltshire estate and negotiates terms to include sexual favours from his employer. When a corpse is dragged from the moat, the draughtsman's drawings may reveal more than he realised.

This simple premise showcases Peter Greenaway’s talents for painterly composition. Gorgeous cinematography and sumptuous costumes combine with a beautiful score from Michael Nyman (a frequent collaborator) and elegantly witty dialogue.

Besides writing and directing, Peter Greenaway is also an accomplished painter and artist (his own work decorates the film) and his movies are noted for the distinct influence of Renaissance and Baroque painting.

Scenic compositions and contrast are common traits in his films: costume and nudity, nature and architecture, furniture and people, sexual pleasure and painful death.

I also love the verbal dexterity from the characters hurling insults at each other and trying to work out the puzzle piece of the mystery.

I chose The Draughtsman’s Contract as part of the Showroom Spotlight because I feel it is a film that has gone under the radar and I feel it would benefit from more exposure to the public, so it is a great privilege to present it to a wider audience.

The film is a great entry point for the oeuvre of Peter Greenaway and still remains his most accessible work.