A man stands darkly silhouetted in front of a gray, clouded, empty surface leaning against the wall of a room (p. 7). His arms hang loosely by his sides; although his eyes are invisible, he seems to be looking directly into the camera. For over six months now, this man has been struggling with the task of painting a mural, nearly two-and-a-half meters high and over six meters long (8 x 19 feet), for the entry hall of a wealthy collector's house. The enormous canvas stands in his New York apartment, where a wall had to be torn out to accommodate it. Now, just after Christmas 1943, the time for procrastination has run out. The collector is planning a party, and she insists the canvas must be finished by that date.

"An Artist of Some Kind..."

Ideals and Influences

Male and Female

"Gothic, Morbid and Extreme"

"An Easy Give and Take"

Artiste maudit or American Prometheus?

Chronology