Artistic Differences

The difference between Nicolas Poussin’s work and Leon Kossoff’s interpretation of it is that Poussin’s scenes draw me emotionally into them and I directly experience the beauty (“Kossoff, for His Connoisseurs Only,” by Christopher Knight, Jan. 26).

When I look at Kossoff’s interpretation of Poussin’s work, my first thought is, “What is this?”

ERCELL H. HOFFMAN

Compton

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Re Hunter Drohojowska-Philp’s article “Through an Artist’s Eyes” (Jan. 22):

Please tell Leon Kossoff not to “regret saying any of this.” I was touched and inspired when he said, “I can’t draw,” and yet he is obviously successful as an artist. I have a degree in art, a certificate in computer graphics, and yet I can’t find work as an artist; I can’t draw either. I have an architect’s license and make my living as a real estate consultant.

I look forward to the day when I can retire and paint (even if nobody wants to hang my pictures). Maybe I’ll be “discovered” after I am long gone, like Van Gogh.

TOM ERICKSON

Glendale