Harry Pye at Sartorial Contemporary Art

Harry Pye at Sartorial Contemporary Art

25 March, 2009
by: Katuschka

I have to admit it. When I first saw Harry Pye's wilfully child-like drawings, I wasn't a fan. The reaction I had upon viewing the ex-Face writer's work was along the lines of: 'You're kidding right?' But since then, I'll be damned if the little chap hasn't grown on me. In Getting Better at Sartorial Contemporary Art, figures of Pye stare out from the frame like anthropomorphic jelly-beans with little red semi-circle mouths and dots for eyes; somehow effectively conveying the happiest and saddest emotions in the world. Pye's comic book styling, mixed with quick David Shrigley-type wit creates a caricature of himself who brings forth various shades of 'awww'.

Getting Better is a curious mix of religious paintings that look as though they have been lifted from a Sunday School, and various snapshots of Pye's life rendered in blobs and primary colours. Optimism and Joy shows his new sister's baby and even the baby has a cheeky grin, whilst paintings such as Come on in the Water's Lovely and Brazilian Hotel document the artist's recent trip to Sao Paulo. The Brazil trip was Pye's first holiday in 20 years; and with an amalgamation of joyous events running into each other like clumsy hurdle jumpers, Pye admits that 'at times as I walked along the beaches I really was crying with happiness'.


Harry Pye and Gordon Beswick, 'Come On In, The Water's Lovely' 2008 acrylic on canvas 101x 127cm

No doubt any viewer can empathise with the unbridled wonder that a great holiday can inspire, and the show is full of this sense of uncomplicated joy, and a sheer appreciation of all that is good and sunny in life. Pye's little rendering of himself ecstatically riding a tiger is a genius take on Rousseau's Surprised Tiger in a Tropical Storm. And the hilarious Breakfast in Bed (which sees a goggle-eyed, pink blob of Pye sharing breakfast with a '50s poster-style Brazilian chica) makes you realise that the drawings need to be naïve and simplistic, because it is in this childlike state that the simplest and purest of emotions are expressed. These are made especially poignant when positioned next to works such as How Are You Doing? which wryly references Pye's previous depression. 

It's a not-so-hidden secret that Pye can actually paint, a fact he lets on cautiously through little hints such as the spot-on Miro pastiche in the background of Whose Go Is It? and the Fauvist Jesus Wept (painted with Billy Childish and Geraldine Swayne). The work hoovers up pop-culture references from the obscure to the inane and there's also a nice little swipe at Damien Hirst. For this show, Pye collaborated with artists such as Marcus Cope and Rowland Smith to produce a variety of textures in the work. However the collaborative efforts make everything a little too serious; and despite seemingly insurmountable odds, I find myself drawn back to Harry's little smiling face and wondering if perhaps painting like a five year old isn't such a terrible idea after all.

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Katuschka