Alex Katz, Resident Artist Lecture 1963

Alex Katz gives a lecture talking about his painting and drawing practice while also engaging in a meaningful conversation with the participants. For Katz, he talks about how his paintings and his role as an artist hold a responsibility of engaging with the world in an honest way, however Katz also confesses that if paintings become too radical for him, there are moments when he starts to lose interest. Despite saying this, Katz does confirm that paintings still shouldn’t function as a display to just look nice, because paintings offer the possibility to become an aggressive philosopher. Katz ends his lecture telling the participants how being in New York has not only influenced his painting practice, but also how he sees himself as an artist; for it is the art that is produced in New York which sets the tone for the rest of the world.