"It's painting like this-you are in front of your canvas, your hand holds the painting, ready, raised. The canvas waits, waits, empty and white, but all the time it knows what it wants. So, what does it want, anyway? My hands comes near, my eyes begin to transform the waiting canvas; and when with my hands holding the paint and my eyes seeing the forms I touch the canvas, it trembles, it comes to life. The struggle begins, to harmonize canvas, eye, hand forms. Finally new apparitions stalk the earth." (Karel Appel quoted in H. N. Abrams (eds.) Karel Appel. Painter, New York 1962; Theories and Documents of Contemporary Art', p.98.) 'One has to believe in what one is doing, one has to commit oneself inwardly, in order to do painting. Once obsessed, one ultimately carries it to the point of believing that one might change human beings through painting. But if one lacks passionate commitment, there is nothing left to do. Then it is best to leave it alone. For basi...