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Catholic University
Washington, DC 1964-66
During this period, as Staff Editor for NCE Roman spent most of his time in residence at the Catholic University in Washington, DC. There he maintained a modest studio similar to his monastic cell at the monastery. During this period of his life Roman's experience of Monastic was meagre as he lived mostly in DC. He had returned to the Monastery in 1967 and worked remotely with his Washington staff from his office and studio at St. Vincent. The mural he executed in the religious studies building on 7th Street reveals the temperature of his inner anguish.
Click for a personal account of departure from cloister two years later.
Crayon, acrylic and gouache, 1966. Catholic University, Washington DC. Present disposition unknown.
Text from Ibsen.
Brand: The jaws of death encompass me.. God above! Does it all count for naught with Thee that man in anguish strives to be?
Voice: God is love.
Roman painted this mural on the stairwell wall of a residential building that the University adapted for temporary use. The Religious Studies department used it for temporary offices and Roman had use of a 2nd floor room as a private studio. During this period he painted several walls using spontaneous gestures with texts to reveal states of experience. The procedures, derived from his work in Paris, provide a glimpse on the spiritual struggle that eventually led him to leave his monastic life.
During this period he continued work on his New City series employing techniques that he had initiated in New York and continued using up through the summer of 1968. These "New City" works were optimistic and signs of a rewarding spiritual life that continued along side his deep seated questions. The ambiguity that pushed and pulled Roman in opposite directions during this period are present in the mural above as opposed to the "New City" works below. For him both were highly valued as manifestations of his experience at that time.
The New City Grows,1965
36" by 36"
acrylic, crayon, gesso on wood.
Artist's Collection
The New City, ca 1966
(earth-blue version)
36" by 36"
acrylic, crayon, gesso on wood.
Saint Vincent Archabbey
The New City Series. From 1963 to 1968, both in Washington and back at the Monastery, Roman created this series of paintings on wood panels. The panels were an industrial grade 3/4" plywood that he prepared by brushing the surface to raise the grain. He then primed it with several layers of white gesso.
By using crayons for spontaneous gestures, heavy impasto for carefully placed rectangular shapes and thin coats of acrylic rubbed over the whitened wood grain, he attempted to bring visual opposites into a believable harmonious whole. These works were, for him, signposts for the New City, a more harmonious world that he believed was possible.
Interpretation: Click here for a statement on this New City series.
Washington Post: "Scholarly Priest at Home with the Beats" by G. Wolfe (1965)< Back: Monastic period menu | Main menu | Search | Contact | Copyright
