Equus c. 1977

Robert Peak made Equus, a painting with collage elements, at an undetermined date. It’s like looking at a half-remembered dream, isn’t it? The way the figure seems to emerge and dissolve into the inky blackground. I love how Peak isn't afraid to let the process show. The strokes are visible, like whispers of movement, and the colors are layered, almost like thoughts building upon each other. The collage element, a fragment of a face, adds another layer of depth. It’s a jolt, a sharp contrast to the fluidity of the painted forms. There's something so raw and vulnerable about the way Peak handles the medium. It reminds me of Francis Bacon, actually, in the way he distorts and reconfigures the human form. But where Bacon is all angst and existential dread, Peak has this strange, ethereal beauty. Like he’s trying to capture something just beyond our grasp. It’s all a bit of a mystery, which is how I like it, really.