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Message from the publisher and art director of Phong Bui

The nine recent paintings on display in this exhibition are very different from Peter Bradley's earlier works. Just last month, Karma was a re-creation of the groundbreaking 1971 luxury theater exhibition In, you can see examples of these works in New York, and Bradley curated an exhibition in New York. An invitation from de Menils in Houston, Texas, and one of the first racially integrated contemporary art exhibitions in the United States. These include those who are considered by Bradley to be the best abstract artists in the country, whether eye-catching or not. Bradley's recent paintings show the same spontaneity and wisdom seen in his work since the 1970s, as well as the advantages of a lifetime dedicated to painting. In Bradley's case, this resulted in a very unique peculiarity that stems from trust in intuition and the power of materials and colors. This freedom produces exciting images.

The surface of the paintings here is charged with water and light: the paint is absorbed into the canvas, has been wetted by water, and is placed flat on the studio floor or moved to the uneven terrain outdoors. Liquid paints are poured in at different viscosities and will separate or combine as they dry at different speeds. Colors shine brightly on other colors, and they usually expand unexpectedly—becoming the boundary of tonal contrast or fine gradation of colors. Along the way, clots and strands of dry paint, mica and sand are added. These added texture vibrations, together with the splashing and dripping paint, are either vivid or blended with the applied colors, and in their contrast they obtain a sense of vitality and vivid space presence. Take "Apple's Scrapple" (2021) as an example. The title of this painting is a reference to the work of Charlie Parker. The brown concentric circles—reminiscent of the cut marble part, the continuous repeating sound or the unfolding flower—are dyed to the surface, and harmonious, rhythmic disharmony is found in the red, black, and blue areas of different densities. Coravilas (2021) is a painting with a smoother transition-from lavender, yellow and green, bursts of cobalt blue, and harsh red lines that flow and rub each other with soft seams or occasionally clear punctuation. . The effect is to look at transparencies and recall colored resin or stained glass. Coravilas is precisely the name of Bill Evans' work. These two paintings evoke the music of two jazz masters, BeBop and Modal jazz. What's more, what is shared with the musician is the Orphic transformation of the artist's experience, life, and other things, in their case, music and his paintings.

Bradley follows the desire of color, as Matisse described, the desire to follow the line until it disappears, paying attention, not his own desire, but the desire of the line. Bradley's paintings do not constitute a world of causality and mechanisms, rational conclusions, resolution and execution. They are not irrational either, they are equivalent to automation, separation, and dreamlike nod to surrealism. More precisely, the gestures here are moving outwards, not inwards, towards superficial self-expressionism. The same is true for some other artists working in the field of improvisation and self-confidence today: Sandy Sloan, John Amlade and Sam Gilliam, to give three examples, their painting methods in other areas are very diverse And have made great works. When Bradley attracted the attention of Kenneth Nolan, Clement Greenberg, and Andre Emmerich in the 1970s, it was because of his talent and determination. They celebrate the form and vision in the painting while excluding all other qualities. However, always focusing on the issue of form—the short-lived and concrete impact of colors and materials—Bradley did not deny the content, he let it go.

David Rhodes is an artist and writer from New York, originally from Manchester, England. He has commented on publications such as Brooklyn Railroad, Art Forum, and Art Criticism.

Critical views on art, politics and culture

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Message from the publisher and art director of Phong Bui

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