It is almost impossible to define Alleyn’s paintings as belonging to or following any one style or school of art. A versatile artist, who crossed stylistic borders in search of new ways of expressing himself, Alleyn produced a rich collection of works. Each shows that he never hesitated to move from one medium to another. Various series mark specific periods in his life that also illustrate the focus of his research. His overall production, including paintings and other works of art, are telling examples of the depth and scope of his talent.
At a young age, in the early fifties, Alleyn explored an abstract style of painting, influenced by then established Quebec artists Jean-Paul Riopelle and Paul-Emile Borduas. He soon searched for a more personal style and new challenges that led him, in the sixties, to incorporate Native American symbols in his paintings. His use of vivid colours, including pinks and oranges, reveal the talents of a great colorist. This period will become known as the “Indian” period.
By the seventies, Alleyn’s work mirrors his interest in science and technology. Man and machine become a single entity as the artist delves into the evolution of mankind and a society influenced by automation. These influences give rise to a major work of art, the “Introscaphe”, an oval-shaped capsule that an onlooker can enter to experience a multitude of sounds and images. This avant-garde multi-media installation was entirely conceived and built by Alleyn while he still lived in Paris.
Following his return to his native Quebec, in the early seventies, Alleyn depicts a changing society in a series of colourful life-size and realistic figures painted on Plexiglas.
This is followed by a series of paintings, from a period known as “Indigo”. At the time, Alleyn was inspired by his surroundings and an older log home he acquired by a lake in the Quebec countryside. These paintings reveal a more personal side of his life, moments and happy memories of a past that he seeks to preserve in his imagery. The artist finds a way to express these more intimate feelings by returning to a more realistic style of painting.
During the final years, Alleyn painted a series known as “Les Ephémérides” on large canvases that illustrate familiar objects scattered on a dark background. The artist seems to explore once again a style that allows figurative and abstract elements to share the same space.
An overview of the artist’s entire work offers an opportunity, today, to observe how each period relates to the next and to notice recurring themes that are no doubt eclectic but also very coherent.
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