Alex Katz interview: 'I had to figure out painting by myself'

Alex Katz interview: 'I had to figure out painting by myself'
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American artist Alex Katz talks to Adrian Searle. Now 85, Katz speaks about his earliest paintings of his brother to his most recent works, and reveals his art-school rules -- and how to paint eternity.
Alex Katz: Give Me Tomorrow is at Turner Contemporary, Margate, until 13 January

[@ThisisRubbishlo]

At last an honest painter, ridiculously simple but iconic style. He can draw just enough to get a believable scaffold for the painting to work, not all his paintings are great. But yes one of my favorites. Great stuff.

[@jeffreyturner4438]

We all had to figure out painting for ourselves!

[@lisengel2498]

I love the small paintings from the beginning and the seagull - they are filled with feeling

[@knownaigm]

It's infuriating having the interviewer constantly making assumptions and overblowing the significance of parts of the work even while Katz himself is being pretty realistic and no BS about his process.

[@mrdrock]

no name ^THIS

[@andyrw]

100% we’re here to listen to the artist speak

[@taylorMFilms]

Katz's paintings work and work so well as to be canon because he as an artist is straightforward. It paints the straight story.

[@pgmisha]

...authentic! Just so great .....

[@lisengel2498]

In this style of painting it is the sharp Lines that somehow malkes the fluidity of everything become like Matisse cut out - its one way of intensifying the experience of colour and form as atmosphere and at the same time as abstract figuration

[@pettibonnotginn]

Great painter.And thts a compliment.

[@elartedericardobenavides1647]

He is a great painter!!! And he has a glorification for beauty and for women!!!

[@DM-sv6jb]

An artist's artist. He is a great painter.

[@Isaacjmj]

2.25 katz realises he's going to have to continue talking to this guy

[@miroporvos]

hilarious

[@andyrw]

Haha

[@spd13062]

Great interview of a fantastic artist. Enjoyed the close ups of the work.

[@StephenS-2024]

Perfect. Agreed.

[@Lytton333]

if you can't make it significant, then make it big.

[@derblae52]

Please define the term significant if the implication is that Katz is not .

[@minarima]

-Sufficiently great or important to be worthy of attention; noteworthy.

[@morralo]

True, but painting bigger is funnier

[@sarahjeffriesart]

So the immediate present is his idea. And the act of painting is his concern. There doesn't seem to be much more to his work and yet he is massively successful. That is the art market for you, most of it is just about money and taste.

[@judithbreastsler]

He's a skilled illustrator with an innate genius for paint.

[@jtaylor118]

this is not where I would go if I spent this kind of time with Alex Katz. Personally, I'd be interested in how he seems himself in relation to other painters, other generations, and the people and things he paints. Unlike Searle, I'd let Katz finish his sentences, and generate ideas on his own. The emphasis on the formal qualities of his paintings and "how he does" it seems kind of beginner to me. Still, it helped me see into Katz a bit... he seems like such a New Yorker to me... even if kind of Long Island-ish.

[@kayem3824]

This is like BBC crap standard.

[@andyrw]

Absolutely agreed, I didn’t like getting distracted from the artists’ ideas by the interviewer.

[@19aries81]

even the artist is thinking this guy is full of shit

[@agomodern]

2:55. Does Katz realize that he's folding his arms like the girl in the painting behind him?

[@Grunge_art_collective]

same

[@vardaartistsresidency651]

so what are his paintings about?

[@kayem3824]

Money?

[@Ryowazza99]

Ben Joseph finally someone whit some brain! I agree with you totally

[@raphaelna1]

@@benjoseph8387 connections? he struggled as a young painter for over a decade. lived in a cramped NYC apartment. i hate the fact that negative, know it all, haters like you are in such abundance in this world.

[@simeonbanner6204]

How occult is this...? The complex melange of intuition, intention, perception and the final thing. How magical a thing painting is. And yet cynical art, market art dominates.

[@Artba_Kreasi]

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[@hanktheblesseddeejay]

More scarf than man

[@benblume6623]

I hate that art is taken so seriously. The people dońt see Naturally just because of the fame of the artists. I watch a lot of interviews from painters, and often they seem very sad, and strict on themselves. They can hardly laugh because everything is so serious. This art world is an opportunity but i also think it makes the artists sick in a way.

[@MontyCantsin5]

Art needs to be taken seriously.

[@johnjungkook2721]

better to be sick with passion than numb with apathy like you

[@andrewjohnson7943]

A glorified illustrator really. A similar problem to Jack Vettriano. This interviewer is also a bit of a problem. A prancing ponce with legs like Sarah Lucas rejects....

[@JohnSmith-ie8lv]

You don't know very much about painting; even mentioning Jack Vetriano in relationship to Alex Katz is proof of this!

[@kayem3824]

Whats that scarf?

[@derblae52]

Thank you for your succinct reply

[@davealbrecht12]

oh go sketch some horses with too much lines you cliche traditionalist

[@frankfacts6207]

poor painters as long as the object is preserved their immortality is assured as long as

[@rd264]

AK seems to explore/exploit the banal - could not be bothered with anything, or troubling himself with details. Likes vacumms for energy sources. Likes pop art, taking his cue from the comics.

[@phillipez2191]

Ummmmmm... Great vid.. heh........

[@phillipez2191]

Omg hahahhahha

[@christopherdennis4280]

Adrian 😂

[@phillipez2191]

Hehe...

[@slay1929]

AGREEEEEDDDDDDDDD

[@slay1929]

LALALLA

[@slay1929]

MOZERELLA

[@slay1929]

ooOoOoOooOhHh MOZZETELLA

[@slay1929]

mozeralalalalalla

[@gattbe5611]

I think the interviewer is a mental house reject..

[@tommylandry9794]

This is incredibly uncomfortable to watch.

[@elartedericardobenavides1647]

Great artist but not a good painter!!!!

[@zzendawgie]

The interviewer is the worst

[@JeffersonDinedAlone]

Apparently he didn't figure it out very well.

[@marokriste363]

compjuter store art,men you have no magination to be artist

[@sonnycorbi4316]

+maro kriste Your problem is you don't know you don't know -

[@derblae52]

How naive and plebeian of you.This man was creating this so-called art decades before there were computers.Get out into the real world and see what true art looks like.

[@lisengel2498]

In this style of painting it is the sharp Lines that somehow malkes the fluidity of everything become like Matisse cut out - its one way of intensifying the experience of colour and form as atmosphere and at the same time as abstract figuration