Lou Posner: The Interface Between Life and Art
The Japanese Sandman was Posner’s final painting, inspired by the popular song of the same name, with lyrics by Raymond B. Egan and music by Richard A. Whiting.
Posner initially based the composition on the original sheet-music cover, but the painting was not working to his satisfaction. His wife suggested that instead of following the cover, he start over and paint the song as he heard it. Posner agreed. In a painstaking process, he painted over much of what he had already completed and began again, later agreeing that the effort had been well worth it.
The resulting composition translates the song into Posner’s own exuberant visual language. Brooms, figures, objects and Japanese imagery tumble through the scene, while a Japanese man at upper right tosses silver and gold into the air—a visual reference to the song’s exchange of “silver for gold” and “new days for old.” Stylized waves anchor the bottom of the composition, and the song’s title and the names of Egan and Whiting become part of the painting itself.
Posner continued working on The Japanese Sandman until he no longer had the physical strength to crank his easel. He was forced to stop, leaving the work unfinished. It remains his final painting, exactly as he left it.