Reviews / Arts Magazine

November 1968

Markman’s art reveals a working mind, a keen sense of humor, a talent capable of creative flexibility in both painting and sculpture. Creation is a game and he enjoys playing with ideas, words and reactions; a thinking artist, he comes across with a child-wild imagination, unlimited in its fantasy, inventiveness, and vision. Markman creates his own language of art, a newspeak dictionary of words, a new species of people, and a completely different environment which makes up his kind of work.
In a painting entitled Modern Painting, he plays around with that familiar question “What is art anyway, anyhow?” The illusion-reality enigma is played upon. Attracted by its bright colors, one stays to investigate the detailed visual messages of its content. Around an abstract painting, gargolyle-type marginalia almost cartoon creatures, react to the painting with very human comments. “It’s decorative, but is it art?” and “It’s a nice painting to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live with it.”
The Road, a sculpture, is a hilly 2-lane driveway which takes us through a tiny world filled with curiosities. On the road, Markman’s hybrid species are riding unicycles; on either side of the road are strange buildings made out of marbles, salt and pepper shakers and other bits of potpourri; and everywhere near the road is a newspeak language on buildings and billboards—“Drink Toxi –Teti” says one sign, “Moxa, Moxa,” reads another. Markman takes us with him on a trip into a never-ever, or maybe-here land. On this fantastic voyage we see his unlimited imagination and creativity at work. All of art is his realm, and his mind is the magic which brings it to life. (Dintenfass, October 8-26)—D.D.