Meat Pie 1974

Dale Hickey made this 'Meat Pie' painting in 1974. The artist has divided the canvas into three horizontal zones that create a sort of proscenium, like a stage set for the star of the show, the meat pie. I imagine Hickey, with brush in hand, contemplating the mundane yet satisfying form of this pastry. He’s got his browns and ochres, that tomato red, laying down the initial washes, building up the density of the pie. The paint looks thin but purposeful, each stroke carefully placed to mimic the textures and contours of a meat pie, like the flaky crust and the glistening blob of sauce. Is this some kind of Pop Art nod to the everyday object? Or a more personal statement about the artist's background? It reminds me of the way Wayne Thiebaud painted cakes; a celebration of the ordinary elevated through the act of painting. We painters are all in conversation, piecing together our understanding of the world one canvas at a time.