Triune

Artist Brian Halsey (b. 1942)

Date1983

MediumSerigraph

Dimensions19 1/2 x 19 1/2 inches (sheet)

ClassificationsPrint

Object numberUAC582

DescriptionTriune is one of Brian Halsey’s many geometric serigraphs. His work is lovely in its angled simplicity and flat planes colored in analogous hues. Many times, his subjects appear as expanding puzzles or cubes which could be easily slid to fit into cut outs surrounding them. In this way they are extremely satisfying to look at; everything a perfectly shaped piece to a whole. However, for Halsey this is far more than aesthetic pleasure. His works are an exploration of positive and negative space and the sense of spirituality that often coincides. At times, his artworks are blatant homages to religion, as in Triune. Here, he certainly creates imagery with a strong correlation to the idea of the Holy Trinity within Christian doctrine. Three branches are connected at the center like orange veins meeting at a molten core. It is a simple diagram of a highly complex topic and one which also brings to light the relationship even of god to humankind within the tensions of light and dark.

Born in Kendallville Indiana in 1942, Halsey studied art at the Chicago Art Institute, Michigan State, and Wheaton College in Illinois. Largely influential on his own work, he holds an M.A. in Church History and the Creative Arts as well as a PhD in Humanities from Florida State University.

Written by Samantha Hohmann