James Rosati, Visiting Artist Lecture 1966

James Rosati gives a lecture at Skowhegan talking to the participants about how to create a strong identity for themselves as an artist. Rosati urges the participants to understand the current moment of history that they find themselves in; in particular the rise of the computer and the atomic age. Rosati says that it’s important for artists to be able to be sensitive enough to create work that projects beyond the world around them, and to get away from the immediacy of their everyday life and the dangers of nostalgia that can trap them. Rosati states that when artists are able to create this kind of projection for themselves, life will start to clarify for them and they will always be growing by constantly challenging themselves. Rosati draws from various moments in art history both in the east as well as the west, and also mentions many artists throughout history to help illustrate his points.