It seems with
any piece of art that there’s the inspiration, there’s the
creation, then there’s the sitting back and just taking in
the finished work. With “Cityscape”, I enjoy what I
see. I can say that because I’m not the painter anymore.
I’m just another one of the viewers. In fact, living
with a finished piece of work is my second favorite thing
about being a painter.
With a painting like this, my eyes tend to go straight to
the figures. Their warm tones and sharp edges “pop” in
the field of muted greens and purples that make up the
blurred verticals and horizontals here symbolizing a city.
You may find your own eyes doing the same. But, each
time I let my eyes defocus and begin to roam the scene
beyond the figures and beyond the glass that separates
them—and me—from this immense metropolis that opens before
me, a smile forces itself on my face. I play among the
building peaks and realize how high in the air I must be.
I gaze at the traffic setting ablaze the streets far below.
Honking horns and revving engines are silent from where I’m
perched.
Only then do I begin to see the scene I’ve been gazing
through. Who are these figures? What has brought
them here? They, too, are gazing at the city.
And what of the city gazing back at them? They’re each
one sensuous, but really quite ordinary, quite
unpretentious. And what of the neon stools on
which they’re seated? Are they real? Is any of
this real?
Art is an amazing thing.
-- Don Haggerty
All Images Copyright © 2001/08
Oil on canvas 30" x 80"