I Some years ago, I was invited to speak at a small liberal arts college in the northeast on the subject of my work. It was a typical artist’s talk: slides, the waxing and waning eloquent about my process and inspirations. Typical, that is, except for one thing. Curious to indulge a certain suspicion I’d been having, I had decided to begin the presentation with an experiment. As the students settled into their chairs, their convivial banter still audible amid the shuffle, I flashed my opening slide onto the screen. It was modest enough: against a simple...