Artist Statement

roberternstmarx

The people I draw, paint and sculpt personify the human condition. They are also the people we see around us, every day.

I have favorite themes…I am troubled by
*the arrogance of power,
*the exclusivity of the institutions of church and state,
*the abuse of and by both spouse and child, and
*our own and others’ personal fears and insecurities.

We are also to some degree trapped by the conventions we have chosen to impose upon ourselves.

While painful to express, these themes desperately need expression, and I have done it by creating my own visual language while building upon the inventions of my artistic ancestors. For example, Picasso was the first to paint a dismembered human body to convey a sense of futility. I also use symbols: mannequins, masks, and dangling limbs on puppet strings, as my visual “shorthand” for the controlling forces which frustrate us all.

I work not only for myself, but also to make a connection with you. I do so as elegantly as I can and with an ambiguity that invites you to join your interpretation with my own.

If I am successful, my people will now make eye contact with you…and our dialogue will begin.

Robert Ernst Marx