It's That Same Quality I've Been Talking

I Was A Student, And As Such You Generally Rely On Prior Models Of How To Make Art, But These Were Not Satisfying. Then I Discovered In Photos What Had Been Missing In Paintings; Namely That They Make A Terrific Variety Of Statements And Have Great Substance. That Is What I Wanted To Convey To Paintings And Apply To It.

The Photograph Is The Most Perfect Picture. It Does Not Change; It Is Absolute, And Therefore Autonomous, Unconditional, Devoid Of Style. Both In Its Way Of Informing, And In What It Informs Of, It Is My Source.

As I See It, All Of Them - Tachists, Action Painters, Informel Artists, And The Rest - Are Only Part Of An Informel Movement That Covers A Lot Of Other Things As Well. I Think There's An Informel Element In Beuys, As Well; But It All Began With Duchamp And Chance, Or With Mondrian, Or With The Impressionists. The Informel Is The Opposite Of The Constructional Quality Of Classicism - The Age Of Kings, Or Clearly Formed Hierarchies.

Painting Is Traditional But For Me That Doesn't Mean The Academy. I Felt A Need To Paint; I Love Painting. It Was Something Natural - As Is Listening To Music Or Playing An Instrument For Some People. For This Reason I Searched For Themes Of My Era And My Generation. Photography Offered This, So I Chose It As A Medium For Painting.

How Could One Be In This World Without Feeling Dismayed By It? Even If One Paints Flowers And Gingerbread.