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Bill GregoryOn Bob BrightonBob Brighton has described himself as a colourist. Although certainly comparable to the great colour theorist Johannes Itten (1888 - 1967) in the depth of his investigations there is a primary difference. Itten believed that colour would always be the most crucial element in painting. Brighton's quarry is an evolving understanding that all aspects of life can be expressed in terms of colour, that the laws of colour are a pathway to understanding all things. The art and the man are practically indivisible. Where the paintings stop and the man and his life start is blurry at best. His life and his work are the same thing.There is no extensive CV to exhibit here - he has had only eleven solo exhibitions (four of them in Australia) since 1983 and is now 67 years of age. Critical acclaim and acceptance in the UK art world (he lives and works in Worthing, England) have largely eluded him. He has never been insecure about this fact as he is well aware of his own worth and ultimate contribution. He started out looking for something simple in his life and art but somewhere along the way the project has become bigger than the paintings. In his own words "The enterprise is bigger than the path - I am saying something new". He is unconcerned about money and lives simply in a council flat which doubles as his studio. That is not to say that he is unconcerned about value and understands that the monetary value put on a work of his reflects how they are perceived. However, what artist would donate the proceeds from this exhibition to the heart unit where he was treated some years ago?. His central concern at this stage of his life is what I shall call his living work of art, a permanent exhibition of his past work which has been donated by himself or purchased by donors to institutions like hospitals, town halls, regional galleries and the like for contemporary and future generations to learn from and enjoy. Paradoxically, the rigorous work strikes a chord in the new century. Post modernism has turned out to be just another period and multi-culturism a curatorial premise. There is a need, indeed a demand for stronger substance by the viewing public. People want art that is capable of touching them spiritually and emotionally, not just simply ideas presented in a visual format to ironically underscore the failings of society. The path of abstraction has veered sharply in the work of many artists (Cathy Blanchflower and Lesley Dumbrell come to mind) who use their 'systems' to evaluate and articulate for us what is precious about life - to put the hustle and bustle into some kind of perspective, to lengthen rather than shorten our attention spans, to ask us to be introspective and contribute through our responses - not simply look on, often glumly and unsure of ourselves from the sidelines. Bob Brighton challenges us to use our eyes to see his art and open up our other senses, to consider change in our perspective and contribute something to the world. These new paintings are among the finest I have ever experienced.
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