On the Cover

Field: Arts and Humanities (Social Sciences)

New York, in 1930, credits his experiences as a psychologist as well as his global travel for the perceptions, ideas, and emotions that he expresses in his art.His work reflects his psychoanalytic insights, his awareness of the human condition, and his belief in the relevance of psychology to everyday life.Firestone has described his art as being born from a need for a creative outlet, whereas his career in psychology comes from his desire to understand himself and others.He obtained a doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the University of Denver in 1957; his postgraduate work focused on schizophrenia and patients who were at the extremes in emotional suffering.His interest in psychoanalysis and existential psychology ultimately led him to use depth psychotherapy in his practice.Writing has provided a professional outlet (most notably Fantasy Bond, 1995, and Fear of Intimacy, 1999).Slated for publication in November 2002 is his tenth book, The Good Life: Sustaining Feeling, Passion, and Meaning in a High-Tech Age.One sees in Firestone's body of artistic work the subjects that have interested him throughout his life.For example, although Firestone grew up in a huge metropolis, he was close enough to the ocean to hear the foghorns.He developed himself into a world-class sailor, and the sea is often in his art.Having lived in three of the United States' largest cities-New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles-cityscapes are another of his themes.Of course, people are at the core of his artistic interest.His art includes him, his family, and many colleagues, friends, and acquaintances from over the years.A particularly striking example is his The Many Faces of Mother, for which he juxtaposed many variations of a woman's picture, creating a montage of both positive and negative imagery in which the mother appears anything but warm.One can imagine the love, fear, and fascination that a child would have while watching such a mother.An artist's style can be seen to develop over time, and almost all artists who live long enough experiment with different techniques as they mature.Firestone's art has undergone such an evolution.His earliest works were oils rendered in an expressionistic style, largely colorful and evocative.The painting on the cover, Schizophrenic, comes from that prolific period.After moving to Los Angeles, California, to begin private practice in the early 1960s, Firestone completed a series of tempera paintings done in an almost graphic style, capturing the dynamic architecture of a city and the turbulence of the sea.Artists of the expressionist period in the early 20th century would have had to stop there, because computers were yet to be invented.Firestone has applied advanced technology to his more traditional techniques to create highly original works such as his photo mosaic portraits and digital collages.An example is his award-winning Self Portrait with Artist's 10 Children, a photo mosaic in which Firestone overlaid tiny images of ten of his children on a photo portrait of himself.He uses computers, scanners, and specialized software and prints his work on glossy artist's canvas; a thick-textured, acid-free rag paper; or a thick, glossy photo stock, using the highest quality giclée printer with pigmented archival inks to produce works that will last 200 years.The results are remarkable, crisp, brilliant, and detailed, and they capture the essence of Firestone's artwork.The picture on the cover captures the physical awkwardness often seen in schizophrenics.The subject's shirt is askew, he has a hand tucked underneath a raised knee, and he is holding his cigarette with a stiff arm.Many hospitalized mental patients smoke heavily, when it is permitted, to deal with boredom and the need for stimulation.The painting has a Roualt-like quality: The brooding eyes and dark outlines around the figure are typical of Roualt's work.Jacques Maritain wrote of Roualt that his art "lives on the internal universe of the soul, on the depths of inner vision and poetic intuition, obscurely grasping in emotion both the subjectivity of the painter and the mystery of the visible world" (Barr, 1954, p. 56).People who have a mental illness remain a mystery to many, but in Firestone's work with his patients, he came to know the pain and alienation behind the façade.It is this inner vision that imbues this work with meaning.