Some artists engage with the world. They present a public face and seem eager to value themselves as the world values them. Sales and commissions, praise and dismissal, as they come and go, define them. At the other extreme are artists who turn away from the world, strive only for their own good opinion and are uninterested in selling or exhibiting. If they're good, they are liable to be a cherished secret when alive and a discovery when dead.

LRB 7 October 2004 | PDF Download