44 Artists Magazine May 2019

HERE’S

LOOKING

ART

AT

Renowned artist Alex Katz expands on his

insightful comments about the art and artists

presented in his newly published book.

by John A. Parks

V

eteran New York artist Alex Katz is world famous for

his highly styled paintings of people and landscapes.

Now in his early 90s, he has authored a book, Looking

at Art With Alex Katz, in which he talks about the work

of some 90 artists and a handful of poets with the

intimacy and candor you might expect when taking a walk through

a museum with a friend. Opinions, observations and insights about

artists from every age are delivered with an entertaining directness

that makes for an engaging and illuminating experience. Like his

paintings, the book offers readily accessible pleasures delivered with

brevity and wit that are underpinned by a profound understanding

of the ideas, techniques and possibilities in the world of art.

KATZ ... ON KATZ

Katz’s own contribution to art is now leg-

endary. Emerging in the era of Pop Art, he

introduced radically simplified imagery,

using compositions that were much influ-

enced by advertising, television and film.

“I wanted to bring something fresh into

painting,” he says. “I’d walk into a movie

and see a head on one side of the screen

and the rest blank. I’d never seen anything

Ted Berrigan

by Alex Katz

PHOTO OF ALEX KATZ BY VIVIEN BITTENCOURT1967; oil on linen, 48x48