On Francoise Gilot’s relationship with Jonas Salk.
She also recently began a new series of paintings, which Gilot describes as some of her best work to date because she’s now painting with more ease and spontaneity – something that Yoakum believes she also found in her marriage with Salk.
"I think what Françoise found was the dialogue that she had earlier (with Picasso), but without the combativeness. Jonas and Françoise experienced fame early in their careers and one might think that having that would be a really solid platform to continue the rest of your work," Yoakum said.
"However, creativity is an experiment, it’s trial and error — and with the loss of anonymity, there is also the added scrutiny. This creates an additional burden that they had to carry," he said. "I think they both understood that very well, and one of the many characteristics that they each brought to their relationship was their ability to understand that in each other."
InsideSalk - 10|08 Issue - Institute Friends Take 'Journey' Through Françoise Gilot's Exhibit and Life
