Art
P — 10
Portrait — Timothy Greenfield-Sanders
PLEASURE AND ALIENATION
Words by Pariss Sloan
Peter Halley has a knack for making you think. Literally losing you in your own thoughts, as you disappear into a
stupor of colour, creativity and philosophical commentary.
His manipulation of shapes and colour divide your thoughts and your bearings. Abstract art at it’s very finest, Halley
has the ability to create an image that on the surface appears bold and beautiful, and yet we soon find that within
lives something much more provocative. His work lures you to see beyond the obvious and question the contradictory notions of art and of life. Halley plays with perception by introducing multiple textures to his art, continuing to
bewilder and challenge his audience whilst encouraging them to see beyond what is initially given to them. Considered to be a crucial factor for the psychology of the Kantian sublime, is the minds conflict between apprehension
and comprehension – what the mind struggles to understand, and what it manages to understand. Overall, a complicated concept to grasp, and further verification of the thought and planning that develops a piece that from the
surface appears to be minimal.
A highly intelligent man, Halley explores classic philosophical ideas in his art, from those of Immanuel Kant and
the concept of Visual Pleasure and Aesthetic Alienation, as well as the sublime, to Jean Baudrillard and post-structuralism. The visual aesthetics of the bold use of colour conflicts with the intensity of the message. Halley uses
clashing colours and bold concepts to create a dizzying sensation. The optical effects of the jarring colours almost
hurt the eyes, a reference to modernity. The media often blinds us with a mutual dependency on television and the
Internet, and Halley accentuates this in his work. In a highly modern and advanced society, his work aims to
represent the blur of the development and the nations attitude towards a growing media-rich world.
1980’s
Glowing Cell with Conduit — 1985
Acrylic, Day-Glo acrylic, and Roll-a-Tex on canvas
63 x 63 inches
Prison with Underground Conduit — 1983
Acrylic and Roll-a-Tex on unprimed canvas
64 x 68 inches
1990’s
Sociogenesis — 1996
Acrylic, Day-Glo acrylic, metallic acrylic and Roll-a-Tex on canvas
93.25 x 94 inches
Prison with Underground Conduit — 1983
Acrylic and Roll-a-Tex on unprimed canvas
64 x 68 inches
2000’s
Supersize — 2000
Acrylic, Day-Glo acrylic, metallic acrylic, pearlescent acrylic, and Roll-a-Tex on canvas
108 x 118 inches
Lost in Translation — 2003
Acrylic, Day-Glo acrylic, metallic acrylic, pearlescent acrylic, and Roll-a-Tex on canvas
68 x 64 inches
MUSÉE D’ART MODERNE
SAINT-ÉTIENNE MÉTROPOLE
EXHIBITION: 18TH JANUARY 2014 TO 18TH MAY 2014
For the last 25 years Halley has toyed with the idea of prisons and cells,
an idea derivative of social and political pressures. The bars are represented in several of his works and highlight the oppressive element of the
mind, and of the state. In previous interviews Halley has described his
depiction of the prison cell as a reflection of isolation and urban life. He
also points out that it is often through various forms of media and technology that we reconnect with the world, and remove ourselves for our cells.
This of course raises the questions – what part of our lives represents the
cell, our self inflicted isolation or our reliance on media?
Halley believes that sitting in front of a computer can be considered a
form of prison itself, and that in doing so people are physically isolating
themselves. We rely too much on electronic communication to connect,
and therefore the basic communication skills become obsolete in many
cases.
The square in Halley’s work is important to the representation of his
commentary and thought process, the square represents middle class
masculinity – ‘a bourgeois masculinity’. His art often comments on the
male middle class, and their behavioural constraints. Halley’s work both
compliments and contradicts his ideas and views, quite like that of the
human mind and perception. Art is a form of rebellion and critique, and
Halley uses his to draw attention to the fact that the human mind is
complex and struggles to adjust to the changing faces of humanity and
human interaction.
There are often complaints that Peter Halley’s artistic evolution has not
been as predominant in his work, as it has in his interviews and political
discussions. Halley has made gradual changes to his paintings, however
the core idea and focus remains largely similar to his first. Halley argues
this to be representative of the issues themselves. Society still faces the
same underlying issues that it faced over 50 years ago; alienation is an
oppression that humanity will continue to face in years to come. Such a
statement therefore deems Halley’s work to be relevant regardless of the
era. Although a representation of modern abstract art, the message
reaches those across all generations.
There are however some clear developments in his work, if
you look back to the 1980’s Halley held a greater emphasis
on prisons in their literal meaning, and the alienation caused
by such confinement. The prison system was a topic of great
intrigue and was essential to the representation of oppression, loneliness and alienation. As time moves forward, we
see the square take a stronger role in his message, as society
becomes more transparent and alienation more prevalent.
He continued to use the cell to represent the almost antisocial element of society, and as his work progresses we see
more and more cells competing within his paintings. It
became clear to Halley that there were greater societal
factors that contributed to the marginalisation of human
beings, and unfortunately as the year 2000 approached, the
alienation that Halley describes grew from every sector
within society. Modernisation, although a fantastic step
forward for technology and science, is a step back for social
interaction.
Peter Halley’s use of colour instantly catches the eye.
Putting aside the political messages that bleed through the
paintings, they should firstly be seen as incredible works of
art. The colour captures the audience immediately, and
leaves them in a whirlwind of imagination and pleasure. The
juxtaposition of pleasure and alienation is an extremely
difficult concept to grasp, but one deeply inherent within
Halley’s work. It is the pleasure that the audience gains from
the paintings that highlights the inner alienation they must
recognise.
Into the Storm — 2009
Acrylic, Day-Glo acrylic and Roll-a-Tex on canvas
92 x 93 3/4 inches
Perfect Sense — 2011
Acrylic, Day-Glo acrylic, and Roll-a-Tex on canvas
72 x 79.25 inches
Halley’s latest collection can be viewed up until the 18th May 2014, at
The Musée D’art Moderne, Saint-Étienne Métropole, France.
Special thanks to Peter Halley and The Musée D’art Moderne, Saint-Étienne Métropole