What is abstract romanticism?
Romanticism has many meanings for many different people. For me, it is an attempt on the part of artists to bring about some kind of substantial change — to bring a sense of inspiration to altering people’s present vision of the world. Why is this type of romanticism called “abstract”? Well, that’s another term that has many meanings. As you look at [Khavarani’s] work, you’ll see that it’s not entirely complete. And yet, at the same time, there’s a core element of something there that you can touch and believe in. So many of his paintings show classic conditions: ocean, sky, volcanic eruption. And yet, you can say that the abstract reaches a point where it’s absolutely clear about what’s being shown. How did you discover Kamran Khavarani and his art? Actually, it was pretty mundane. We had mutual friends. Kamran was having a show right here on Glendon [in Westwood Village], so it was very convenient. He said to come over — I did, and I fell in love with the work. Most of your books hig
