On Painting Realistically: A Memoir

The author points out his need to search for and define reality. Alternative approaches by artists to reality are briefly described and his approach is explained. He presents his concept of realism in figurative art as based upon an attempt to resolve pictorially the contradictions he encounters in life and art. The major contradiction chosen then influences the choice of others as well as the interacting levels of the painting’s structural relationships. His way of working is described as one of search, generalization, cross-fertilization and sudden recognitions, stemming from previous experience. These lead to paintings containing several integrated meanings. The analytical and synthetic tendencies in his recent work are explained, and a third more allegorical direction, as exemplified in recent murals, is pointed out. He notes the key influences that have affected his work and summerizes his reaction to current social problems in the U.S.A.