The Moment of Truth

My artists friends were working with very inexpensive materials

—broken wood and paper—

And they were making beauty.

These were not superficial details,

They were direct

—it raised the question of what was beautiful.

I chose to use the craft available

And to work with the craftsmen

And make a virtue out of their limitations...

I explored the processes of raw construction materials

To try giving feeling and spirit a form.

In trying to find the essence of my own expression,

I fantasized the artist standing before the white canvas deciding what was the first move.

I called it the moment of truth.

The moment of truth, the composition of elements, the selection of forms, scale, materials, color, finally, all the same issues facing the painter and the sculptor.

by Frank Gehry