Page 40 - Studio International - March 1966

Henri Hayden
Les Labours Rouges 1965
Gouache
19 1/2 x 25 1/2 in.
Waddington Gallery

art tamed and domesticated, giving pleasure by subtle- Mods. The strength of this kind of painting is its in-
ties, rather than through loud, brash effects. In fact, the clusiveness—its willingness to tackle any topic, to hold
modern style here finds a niche in the very world which nothing sacred, and, even more important, its painter-
artists like the Burliuks originally revolted against. Bon- liness. Behan loves putting paint on to a surface—you
nard, of course, demonstrated that it was perfectly can see it in his brushstrokes. And here, after all, he
possible for a painter to be daring and subversive while does have something in common with a painter like
remaining within the bourgeois context, but I don't Hayter —a physical sensuousness, a commitment to the
think that either Hayden or Avery have that intention. medium which involves the spectator also.
Theirs is the small, lyrical song. We hear it on the margin At the Leicester Gallery, Robert Medley shows a sen-
of events, and it is none the less beautiful and valuable suousness of a more aesthetic kind. This is very dis-
for that. The one thing we have to remember is that the tinguished work in an already-established English tra-
upheaval and the uproar were necessary before even dition. The figurative references are almost swallowed
this could be sung. up in a fascination with the business of picture-making.
Across the road, at Roland, Browse Et Delbanco, And this business is something which the artist does
there is quite a different sort of show—work by Peter very beautifully indeed. His palette has lightened; the
Behan. Egotism is Mr. Behan's strong suit, just as it colour now reminds me of Larry Rivers, and so does the
once was Burliuk's. One picture is even entitled confidence of the brush-work. What is missing, perhaps,
Homage to Peter Behan—it shows what looks like a is Rivers' fascination with the world of appearances, of
bundle of pork sausages crowned by a trilby hat. things as they are. Medley's is a strange universe of
Behan, in fact, is somewhat obsessed with images of reverie and dream — full of intimations, but a little
tripes, and the fascination with which he regards them short of direct statements. The commitment to the
obviously owes something to Francis Bacon. But I like medium is there right enough, but what about the
these pictures for their immense toughness and vitality. commitment to the thing which sets the whole
The Pop-Surrealist idiom in which Behan works is process in motion, to the moment of insight or vision ?
obviously going to count for more and more in con- An almost complete contrast to this kind of approach
temporary painting, if only because it provides the is to be found in the work of an artist of a very
obvious counterpoise to the 'coolness' of the hard-edge different generation, Michael Buhler, whose paintings
abstractionists. It's a case, perhaps, of Rockers against are now on view at the New Art Centre. Buhler might