A COLLECTOR’S JOURNEY AT THE TURN OF THE MILLENNIUM

Dan Hays (b. 1966)
Underwood
signed, titled and dated ''UNDERWOOD' DAN HAYS 2000' (on the reverse)
oil on canvas
78⅞ x 78⅞in. (200.2 x 200.5cm.)
Painted in 2000

Provenance:
Entwistle Gallery, London.
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 2000.

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Specialist Notes:

Executed in 2000, Underwood forms part of Dan Hays’ Forest series, conceived between 1999-2000. Described by the artist as ‘an optical exploration of the play between foreground and background’, Hays’ paintings present a paradoxical visual realm where the immaterial pixel and the physical brushstroke coalesce. Using low-resolution images of landscape gleaned from the internet as his foundation, Hays' paintings ‘emulate the qualities of video and poor quality printed material (like mail order catalogues) in paint’ (D. Hays, quoted in Dan Hays: Paintings, London 2001, p. 30).

The process of storing and manipulating appropriated JPEG images is fundamental to the artist’s working practice. JPEGs have become the most prevalent image format on the internet for their ability to store images in a relatively small size. However, when decompressed, the images lose a small amount of detail, which in turn accentuates tonal changes between individual pixel colours. Hays replicates this effect on a monumental scale in his painting, squaring off the canvas and systematically applying small areas of colour which are matched to a digital section of the image stored in his computer. The result is an image constructed from small, unblended blocks of colour that recall Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. Indeed the artist has noted that ‘there is a parallel between the way computers compress images with “JPEG” and the way that the Impressionists or Cézanne strove to reduce the amount of painted information to aid in speed of production and capture, yet also to reveal the essence of a scene’ (D. Hays, quoted in Dan Hays: Paintings, London 2001, p. 30).

Please note this lot is the property of a consumer. See H1 of the Conditions of Sale.