[Tom Edgerton]

Tim--

("Horn in"...ooooooh.)

I think what Mr. Silverman means, as much as I understand it from various conversations, is that for him, qualities that remind the viewer that it is a painting, not a copy of a photo--a painterly technique--are essential, else for him, why do it? Thus, if faced with a choice in a particular passage, he would sacrifice slavish "verisimilitude" (not accuracy) for a broader technique if it satisfied his need to feel the formal "stuff" of the painting, the paint itself, but more essentially and importantly, if it supported and reinforced the emotional content of the work. He loves the paint itself, and expects (and nearly always achieves) an emotional truth and power, and opts for that over a superficial illusion of actual reality on a 2-D surface that so many of us are fighting for. But he is also a consummate draftsman and the entry point to his art is in drawing.

So at the heart of it, I think he would agree with John's (and others) comments.

At least I would hope that he wouldn't disagree with my weak attempts to communicate what I've learned from him.

Love to all--TE