It’s important to recognize and distinguish between two concepts: syncretism and paranoia. These represent serious traps — and they appear in the visual arts as well. Syncretism is the more dangerous of the two. Paranoia may involve delusions, but it often follows a coherent logic. Syncretism, on the other hand, always contains a logical error, even if it isn’t built on delusion. Both can compromise the artist.
What matters is noticing this problem — and happily avoiding it. The key lies in the ability to explain and defend one’s creative decisions. Art can be eccentric; it must contain both novelty and echoes of its predecessors. But it cannot be either a lie or madness. Where there is a probability of talent, truth is mandatory.
And truth, in painting, often begins with the artist’s own interest — with the moment when a commission becomes more than a task, and turns into a genuine creative opportunity. That’s where the second thought begins.