Henry Varnum Poor, Resident Artist Lecture 1963

Henry Varnum Poor gives a lecture where he talks about his painting practice through an intimate conversation between himself, the faculty, and the participants who ask him questions. Varnum talks about the importance of cultivating a strong vision and knowledge when approaching painting, through the process of trusting what one is seeing and letting their eyes guide them. Drawing is also an important part of Poor’s practice, functioning as a vehicle for him to cultivate knowledge as an artist. Poor draws on the five senses when working on his drawing practice and furthermore sees drawing from life as important because it allows humans to explain the structures that they see around them. Poor ends the lecture by telling the participants that for him, the quality of humanity is essentially the most important thing in a work of art. If this quality isn’t tangible for Poor, then it won’t be a work of art for him.