Francesco ClementeFrancesco Clemente is a self-taught painter and published poet born in Naples, Italy in 1952; he also studied architecture in 1970 in Italy (“Biography”1)(“Clemente”1). “In 1973, Clemente made his first trip to India, where he now spends part of his year studying the Buddhist religion and the Sanskrit language, the classical language of India. » (“Clemente”, 1). He moved to America in 1980; he and his family reside primarily in Greenwich Village in New York, his art studio is nearby (Sischy,1). When asked in an interview about his process for deciding who he will paint, he talks about the status of a person and how it's not the status of the person that helps him decide, it's is that he is “…fascinated by what lies behind the mask, which is something fragile, but at the same time reassuring, because it remains. » (Sischy, 3). In the same interview, Clemente is asked about his self-portraits: “Where are you in your head when you paint them? Clemente talks about his own reflexivity in response to the question: “In my head, I'm in one of those Buddhist caves where you see a thousand Buddha faces on the wall. In my head, I'm in my seventeen-year-old acid trip, when I watched my characters fall one minute at a time, as if I was dying at any moment. »… “I'm at the age where I don't need an acid trip to feel naked. Feeling like I don't exist. Today, a self-portrait almost reminds me that I exist, at least to an outsider's eye. What I create is feelings put together, so I think the only way for me to see my work and not feel crazy is to see it through someone else's eyes. Your feelings exist if someone else feels the same way. Otherwise, you might think you're really crazy. » (Sischy, 4). Clemente's numerous self-portraits, the first produced in 1976, have been described as "ironic" ("Francesco"1). In his article “The India of Francesco Clemente”, the author, Gini Alhadeff, goes in search of what inspires Clemente. She received advice from the artist himself on which regions she should visit in India. At the beginning of her article, she talks about a yoga master from Madras: “…when asked why he thought foreigners came to India on spiritual quests, he replied that he did not know; When pressed further, he suggested, "Because they're crazy." » He perhaps found it strange that people who have access to all comforts and who have a healthy body and mind are... middle of paper... reality is not real!! -)”My opinion? I completely agree with my aunt and uncle. Reality is what we perceive and how we interpret it. These perceptions and interpretations are primarily based on our history and experiences. However, this does not mean that we cannot change our perceptions and interpretations - it is not easy but it can be done, if you wish.Bibliography: Works CitedAlhadeff, Gini. “The India of Francesco Clemente.” Travel + Leisure, October 2000. Also available on the web at http://www.travelandleisure.com/invoke.cfm?objectID=C2E8325E-7B78-4265-9DE9148DD6FFDF14&method=display “Biography of Francesco Clemente.” Last consulted on 11/12/01. http://www.italica.rai.it/principal/argomenti/biografie/clemente.htm “Clemente, Francesco. » Microsoft® Encarta® 2000 Online Encyclopediahttp://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved “Francesco Clemente. » Last consultation on 10/12/01. http://www.artchive.com/C/clemente.html “Amazing artist of silent poetry: Francesco Clemente. Interview July 1997. Last consultation on 11/12/01 on: