“Painting is an attempt to come to terms with life. There are as many solutions as there are human beings.” – George Tooker (self portrait)

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The Waiting Room* (1959) – egg tempera on wood; 30″ wide x 24″ tall Smithsonian Museum of American Art

This painting as described by the artist:

“The Waiting Room is a kind of purgatory – people just waiting – waiting to wait. It is not living. It is a matter of waiting – not being one’s self. Not enjoying life, not being happy, waiting, always waiting for something that might be better, which never comes. Why can’t they just enjoy the moment?”

George Tooker – The Waiting Room