In Peter Taylor’s painting, a rectangular grid blazing with the color of warm hues is punctuated by blues, greens, and purples. The dazzling layout of colorful rectangles evokes a mosaic composed of innumerable tesserae. Limiting his compositional structure to a grid, Taylor’s piece resonates with the geometry of other work in the exhibition, but his expressive mark-making provides a compelling foil. The artist allowed evidence of his process to show in the final work, thus enlivening the otherwise inhuman character of the grid. The viewer sees the texture of the paint, and certain passages even become palimpsests that reveal where the artist has reworked the surface. Often inspired by his travels to Cuba and Europe, the title, like many of his other pieces, recalls his journeys through Spain: Andalusia, Catalonia, Arno, and even Pamplona, where the artist had run with the bulls.
–When We Were Young: Rethinking Abstraction From The University At Albany Art Collections (1967-Present)