Michael

I ask myself, why do I care about the state of high-falutin' oil painting ("HFOP") anyway? I think because good HFOP always implies the existence of a community--the kind of community which I could legitimately aspire to joining. Rubens or Michelangelo, as talented as they are, didn't go it alone during their lifetimes. Even posthumously their art needs people to understand it, appreciate it and even display it.

I guess that's why I've spent so much time trying to figure out where I could find a local chapter of this (imaginary?) organization and join up. So far, needless to say, I've mostly had disappointments in this quest; this type of society is not only secret but virtually hidden. Nonetheless, I seem incapable of giving up the search altogether.

Cheers,

Friedrich