Quatpad 1978

Brian Halsey made Quatpad with flat bold colors that sit on the surface. The cool blue-green palette pops against the dark backdrop. I can imagine Halsey composing the painting, probably slowly, building it up one geometric form at a time. I think of the flat planes of color fitting together like a jigsaw puzzle. I imagine the artist thinking about the material quality of the painting. How the colors interact with each other, and how the shapes create an illusion of depth on a flat plane. I'm interested in how a single color creates spatial ambiguity, and how the artist uses a simple shape to create an illusion of depth and movement. I think about all the times other painters have tried to do this sort of thing, like Josef Albers and Sol Lewitt. Painters are always in conversation with one another across time, inspiring each other's creativity and opening up possibilities for seeing and thinking.