I have favorite themes. I am troubled by:

• the arrogance of power

• the exclusivity of the institutions of church and state

• the abuse of and by both spouse and child, and

• our own and others’ personal fears and insecurities.

• We are also to some degree trapped by the conventions we have chosen to impose upon ourselves.

While painful to express, these themes desperately need expression, and I have done it by creating my own visual language while building upon the inventions of my artistic ancestors. For example, Picasso was the first to paint a dismembered human body to convey a sense of futility. I also use symbols: mannequins, masks, and dangling limbs on puppet strings, as my visual “shorthand” for the controlling forces which frustrate us all.

I work not only for myself, but also to make a connection with you. I do so as elegantly as I can and with an ambiguity that invites you to join your interpretation with my own.

If I am successful, my people will now make eye contact with you, and our dialogue will begin.

-Robert Ernst Marx