Tony Turpin

 

Historians and critics have argued that "art" can be described but not defined. For that reason I have had difficulty finding the right words to express thoughts about my own work, thoughts that might convey a sense of what a painting means or what I might want a viewer to see. I believe the "language of vision" is essentially non-verbal, and for that reason it is hard to give substance to paragraphs that deal with my painting and sculpture. When asked to speak about my work I am always tempted to quote the line from T.S. Eliot's poem, Love song for J. Alfred Prufrock…" oh, do not ask what is it, let us go and make our visit." And, I think, that is the essential point…one must first SEE…any response is based upon the viewer's interaction with the work, and that is a purely individual, subjective experience.

In 1966, I began more formal studies at Art Center School in Los Angeles. My primary instructor there, Lorser Feitelson, introduced me to the world of the "moderns", and it was soon thereafter that I became fascinated with abstract expressionism and American art of the 20th Century. While I continued to be captivated by the "realists", I devoted much time to experiments with shape and form in purely non objective compositions using a variety of materials mixing a wide range of media.

 

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