Keeper of Peace: Small Works No. 136

About the Item: Sasha Hallock’s paintings are a diary of his daily inspirations, spirituality and challenges. He builds abstract forms through a focus on color relationships, texture and universal aesthetics. Each of his abstractions is a monument to a moment in time. His daily experiences inform each work stating, “All of my lived experience, art historical knowledge, every show and artist I admire is brought to bear as I paint, along with the weather conditions, world events and what audiobook I happen to be listening to in the studio….I am constantly observing the relationships between things: the texture of corduroy as it hits the black leather of a person’s boot on the subway. The place where an old brick apartment building meets a shiny glass tower. In many ways, these paintings reflect my love for New York City, its density, intersections and diversity.”
Small in scale, Hallock’s paintings are reminiscent of medieval icons meant for religious devotion. They are precious, nurtured by the artist who insists on perfecting every element. The practice is almost meditative, this is demonstrated in the careful consideration of soft blends, repetition of shapes and minute details in works like Untitled Small Works No. 134. A sense of peace can be found in the painting’s spiraling center and pale washes.
Though confined to the surface of each panel, the forms appear three dimensional, as if a sculpture in a white cube gallery. The white space, painted with as much care as the form itself, creates the illusion of blending into the wall. The care the artist devotes to his material animates the seemingly foreign shape into a figure with personality and character. He likens them to sculptures, totems, icons, machines and architecture. They have a palpable presence that seem both recognizable and otherworldly. At first glance joyful, their intricacy requires time to consider.