Guy Lyman: Artist’s Statement

“This series of relatively large, intensely colorful paintings was begun in reaction to the gray oppressive weight of the social and political polarization that has descended like a pall over the past few years. I wanted to make paintings about nothing but pure delight, in honor of the fact that beneath this fog of antagonism, we must still acknowledge how spectacularly fortunate we are — at least for now, in this time and place, despite our differences.

For me, the colors, forms and brushstrokes here feel exuberant without suggesting an unnerving chaos. I have purposely used unlikely color combinations that despite their dissonance seem to work together. I don’t feel this is a time to be making brooding works that reflect the schism we are working our way through; we all know about this. On the contrary, I think it’s a time for art to lift us above it, and for us to be thankful.”

Series History

This is part of a series that has been ongoing for several years, but the paintings up until now have all been sold privately, directly to collectors and designers, often before completion. There is no availability in the secondary (auction) market as of now. The series prior to this one show a higher degree of articulation, from which the artist has purposely departed in the new works.

These paintings have been placed not only in contemporary settings, but surprisingly in rooms of fine antiques as well, creating a tension between the classic and the contemporary — like the abstract works you sometimes see in uber-traditional dining and living rooms of seasoned collectors. This is a large painting that will make its present felt throughout an entire room. More paintings in this series will be posted over the next few weeks as they are photographed.

Prior series by Guy Lyman

“These paintings are a refreshing departure from the current abstract art world’s seemingly endless parade of fields of color with scribbles providing form, a style that is easily mimicked and has become a sort of “safe,” accessible go-to. There are confident decisions in these paintings appearing as commitments of strongly delineated forms and unexpected collisions of color that give the work a visceral, confident and playful soul, increasingly missing from contemporary expressionist abstraction. They are the paintings of a real painter rather than a decorative artist.” ArtSeen, 2018