Easel Painting 2004

This ‘Easel Painting’ presents a studio space captured in flat, bold colours. There’s something so deliciously upfront about the way Hickey's laid down these shapes. No blending, no shading, just pure, unadulterated colour meeting colour. It's like he's saying, "Here it is, folks, the very essence of painting!" The texture of the paint looks thin and even, as though it was applied with the goal of perfect flatness. The dark background has this flattening affect, so that the whole scene feels compressed and flattened. Look how the blue cross on the easel echos the window behind, and note the arrow, which tells you to look up. It's a kind of recipe for seeing a painting. I’m reminded of Patrick Caulfield's clean lines and everyday subject matter, but Hickey's got this added layer of self-awareness. It's not just a room; it's a meditation on painting itself.