In 1961 you went to London to study for five years, exploring British and European art and culture. What influence did this experience have on you?
At the end of my first college semester at NYU in 1967, the Arab-Israeli war known as the Six Day war added a tense dimension to an already heightened tension of the Vietnam War, affecting academic life and disrupting classes at NYU and everywhere.
Going to England and continuing my schooling in London opened a broad horizon for exploration and discoveries. It was a great period of study and travel, offering opportunities to visit and see great places, museums, and art centers in England and Europe and gain first-hand knowledge of the works of great artists of different periods. The close contact greatly influenced the development of my interest in art.
Having just enrolled as an undergraduate, there was still a long period of study with many courses in the arts and sciences. In 1968, a series of terrible events swept the country, with violence and increased tension creating a depressed atmosphere that brought all sorts of reactions from different perspectives and walks of life. There were huge demonstrations, along with cultural and political activities drawing strong participation from various figures that included
You studied at New York University, where you received a BA and MA in art history and philosophy, before you committed yourself to painting in 1968. What led you to make the decision to choose a life in art?
artists, poets and musicians. I became immersed in a lot of artistic activities, making artworks that seem to flow with a succession of images requiring deep concentration of focus and development.