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16 November 1944

The Whitney Museum has opened its annual show. As usual, it was one of the social events for the artists. I did not see much of the pictures, but in general I thought that exhibition had a much higher level than usual. Several critics have mentioned a tendency towards abstraction and surrealism. I did not notice this, but perhaps there is more of that type of picture being shown. That may be the direction in which we are moving, because of the war. War is a terrible thing, and people try to get away from reality, or else they may turn to romantic and religious painting. I have thought about this before, and the more I see of painting today, the more I think we may be on that road. This trend is, I suppose, inescapable, but I believe the people who follow it are mostly younger painters trying to find new fields. I am sure that the older artists feel the pressure of circumstances too, but they cannot change as quickly as younger ones, and may show it through different channels, and not so clearly. These modes come and go very quickly.

Among friends who went to school with me, some have had such an attitude, and today they are still following the mode of the time, and keeping very busy trying to catch up. Their work has not reached the point where one could call it their own. I am sure these painters are very sincere, and deserve good results, but I am afraid that in painting one cannot learn to express oneself through one medium in a short time.