Alex Katz, Visiting Artist Lecture 1975

Painter Alex Katz begins with general comments on artistic style in relation to social position and lifestyle; subject matter; and scale. These observations are followed by slides of his work, limiting his narrative in this section to description, with occasional comments on his motivation for choosing the subject of individual paintings. Responding to questions at the end of the slide presentation, Katz addresses issues of volume, 3-D and light; discusses how he plans the composition of his large paintings; comments on the importance of pacing one’s work in relation to personal temperament; and talks briefly about the Kennedy Gallery, a cooperative gallery which he and several colleagues sold work from until the early 1960s.