180
Andafewdayslater,theimagesuddenlybecameconsciousandwaspaintedin
2 hours.
"ItisformcthewholespringflushofdawninthattcnderestpartofItaly,
Umbria—thepinkcitysheddingthenightmistwhichstillclingstothemountains,
andalongtheplainbelow.
"Butthecityaloneemergingfromthemistwouldnothavebeenenough...
morespecifuallyemergingfromthecityarethe 2 churchesofthe 2 saintsofAssisi,
St.FrancisandSantaChiara—as 2 anchorsinaSeaofDoubts.Thisaddedelement,
Imustadd,isnotasintellectualorliteraryasitmaysound,forAssisiissoper\'aded
withthesweetnessofSt.Francis(inthetemperofthepeople,intheperfumeofthe
air,thecolorofthe.stone,the.soundofbirds,andtheclarityandgentlenessofthe
air)thatitpermeatedmywholeAssisiexperience,anditseemedlogical(andyet
withnoforethought)asIfoundthe 2 churchesbeginningtoemergefrommycity,
tousethemaspunctuationmarks.
"Mypaintingsalwaysderivefromaspecificphysicalobject.Butitisnot/who
paintit,ratheritistheobjectbecomeimageinmysubconsciousthatpaintsitself.
Whenthisimagehascrystallized,itwillgivemcasign,andtheactualpaintingof
it,thetransition fromsubconscioustoconscious,istheleastofmyproblems..-Xs
Isaid,inthisAssisipainting,theimagecrystallizedalmostatonce;inotherpaint-
ingsitmaytakeweeks.Ineverforceit,butworkonsome 4 or 5 paintingsata
time,oratleasthavethemathand,readyforwhichevergivesmethesignthatits
imageinmeisreadytocomeout.
"Somepainterssaythattheygo'intotheirpaint.'Igointomysubject;butinto
it,Irepeat,andthatmeansintothatspiritualelementofitwhichisinme.The
result,forthemorenon-objectivepainterandmyself,issimilarlyinnernecessity.
Andifweinsistonpaintingonlyfrominnernecessity,weneednot\vorr\'whether
wcareobjectiveornon-objectivepainters.
"Peoplea,skmcwhyIliveinItaly,orrather,inEurope.Asidefromsuchobvious
reasonsasthatIlovetopaintItaly'sarchitectureandItaly'slight;andthatan
artistfeelsmoreathomethere,perhapsitisalsotoavoidthedangerthatIfeelin
America,amidAmericanmaterialism,ofan artist'sbeingso detachedfromhis
societythathisworkisapttobecomeingrown,and,insteadofrelatinghiswork
tohissociety,hemaycometoidentifyitsolelywithhissimilarlyisolatedcolleagues.
Hisimageinthiscasewouldbethemeasureofhisretractionfromratherthanofhis
contactwithlife.AndthustheAcademyisborn.
"America'sover-industrializedcivilizationisautomaticallyopposedtoartinthe
subordinationoftheinnerlifetotheexternallife.Anditstrikesmcthatmany
youngpaintersforwantofinnercommunicationwiththeirsociety(orany.society)
mustfalleasilyintoanyoljscurepathofexpressionwheretheycannotbedisputed
becausetheycanalwayssaytheyarcnotunderstood.Toomany,Ithink,arejusta
bittoointerestedinthefactthattheyarenon-objectivepainters.
"Theonlythingthatreallymattersisthatitistrueexperiencethatwcdraw
onfortheimage,thatitisloveandexperiencewhichotherscanreadinthevibrations
ofourimageandnotjustmaterialoraslogan.Toomanypaintingstodayarefrag-
mentsofoldandofothers"discoveries.Fachshouldbeawholeworldinitself.Iam
nottheleast(Oiucrnedwithhowmuchoftheobjectwhichinspiredmeremains
inmypainting,because 1 knowthatifthepaintinghascomeolT,theobjectwill
onlyseemtoremain,foranimagetuillactuallyhavetakenitsplace."
"ImightaddthatIpaintwithonespatulaandoneawlwithwhichIcarve
