"Painters have always had to believe in formal language. It just didn’t used to be called into question as much as it is now. It is a belief that pictures can be formally coded and tell a story, and that viewers will understand that code even if they are not painters themselves. In contemporary art the language of painting is like a dialect of ancient Greek—most people just don’t understand it. Furthermore I don’t know how many people are willing to relax and let the meaning of the painting unfold, but I like to think they will feel the power of the form, almost unconsciously, whether they want to or not."
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The narrative parts of those paintings are usually understood iconographically, through the signs and symbols that let you know that the woman depicted is Mary Magdalene, for instance. Aside from that kind of literary content, I know you are as interested in the formal elements of the painting—how color, line and composition make up the image. Can belief be discussed in formal terms?
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Lisa Yuskavage
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