By the Sea, By the Sea
“He makes no artistic mistakes; his technique is perfect. And what he tells us with his pointed and bristly brush shimmers with irony. In all that niceness there is a satirical sharpened understanding of human nature.”
Peter Hans Gopfert, Die Welt, Ausgabe, January 20, 1979
Painting
Balet worked in consistent style throughout his career as an artist. His subject matter is contained and presented in a straightforward manner with a strong sense of outline and a bold use of color. He eliminates the unnecessary, focusing on particulars that invite viewers' curiosity, free association, and wonder.
He was hesitant to categorize his style of painting, but when pushed, he would refer to his works as “sophisticated primitive”.
Using acrylic paints on canvas boards, he expresses the human condition with both serious reflection and with humor, drawing the viewer in with the portrayal of the slightest turn of a subject’s head or even a clever title, suggesting much more than the static image on the canvas can impart.