The motivation for this volume arose from a desire to bridge the gap between artists and their audience, facilitating a deeper understanding of the artist's purpose and process. Rico Lebrun, during an evening discussion in San Miguel de Allende, highlighted the importance of giving artists a platform to articulate, in their own words, the thoughts and feelings underlying their creations. While art communicates through form, color, sound, or texture, words can sometimes clarify the artist’s unique perspective on style, technique, and life itself. Just as people in other fields seek understanding and respect from their peers, artists also face the challenge of gaining acceptance, especially when their work diverges from popular norms. This divergence can lead to a defensive resistance from audiences, who often prefer the familiar over the unsettling unknown that avant-garde art might represent.

In our society, this tension frequently casts the artist as an outlier, one who disrupts the comfort of the present by intuitively reaching into future possibilities. New ideas in art, like those in science, require an openness to the unfamiliar; yet, audiences may resist, feeling overwhelmed by the demands of confronting something new. The artist, however, hopes for more than superficial applause or detached critique. They seek a resonant response that validates the enduring impact of their work. This volume, therefore, is intended to foster a more profound dialogue—not just between artist and audience, but also among artists themselves—enhancing mutual understanding and respect for the creative journey.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1956.