Wow, 82 and still painting strong. I had no idea. Thanks for focusing on Thiebaud, whose work I like a lot. He's playful and sensual, and I enjoy the commercial-illustration skills that underlie his paintings. Plus I like that California pallette of his. I know one painter who thinks Thiebaud's tendency to outline subjects in orange/blue and then paint over the outline while leaving little touches of it still visible is a bit of a cheap trick. I wonder. It's certainly eye-catching and effective. A signature bit of style, perhaps? I was amazed when I saw the big Whitney show a few years ago how good he is at the figure. Great bodies and heads, quirky posing ideas. I wonder if the ideal combo is to get some real-art-world experiencek (knock some of the naivete and provincialness out of you) and then leave the real-art-world. Stay in it and your quirkiness and oddness never gets a chance to develop. Avoid it entirely and you never discover what a rube you really are.

Posted by: Michael Blowhard on January 30, 2003 7:33 PM