The Spinning (Tonne) , 2026
Acrylic, Oil and Spray Paint on Canvas
120 x 135 cm
Well Water is Peter Doyle’s second solo series at RHODES, following the success of his sold-out debut Public House.
While Public House focussed on the shared social space of the pub, Well Water demonstrates Doyle’s development into exploring social dynamics both in these settings and beyond. His fast-paced painting style, where borders are left unfinished, and faces are created from just a few brushstrokes, leads to works that are both anonymous and deeply charged.
The Spinning (Tonne) exemplifies Doyle’s style, with the central figure, a waiter holding a raised bottle of wine on a tray, connecting all those surrounding him. While the other characters don’t interact directly, they are all linked by the setting of the bar – emphasised by the stark-white uniform of the waiter. The background texture bleeding into their faces and bodies demonstrates how, despite none of them being engaged with one another, this shared space inherently connects them all, turning them into one community.
A similar occurrence happens in Portraits on Blue, although with no central person to connect them. This time, it is the dusty blue background that links the figures. The lack of defined edges creates a sense of action, the atmosphere of a busy street or town square. The way the figures in the red and brown skirts overlap one another removes classic perspective while imbuing the works with an almost timelessness, as though Doyle has overlapped multiple periods from the same setting, choosing who to include in the scene. Atmosphere is prioritised over realism, demonstrating the feel of a bustling street with unavoidable, if not intentional, social relations being formed.
Portrait One and Portrait Two remove the group setting but retain Doyle’s personal touch. While the previous works explored community created accidentally by virtue of existing in the same place, these two portraits demonstrate the relationship between artists and sitter. Portrait One is of a female figure, Eimear (Doyle’s girlfriend), her face painted from thin black lines on top of a peach, grey, and blue background. While it may not be clear who the sitter is, the focus on her hyper-contemporary and eye-catching accessories (y2k style sunglasses and large hoop earrings) says more about Doyle’s view of her than anything else. Similarly, Portrait Two shows a male figure, Doyle, painted in a similar style. This time, the portrait focusses on the action of the man, looking as though he is about to speak. Side-by-side they appear almost as a diptych, with the shared colour palette and style joining the two works together.
Doyle’s exhibition explores the relationships we make and lose in fleeting moments – in bars, in the street, and even in the artist’s own studio. Well Water ends June 6th, email us for more details.
