Frederic Matys Thursz (1930–1992) continually questioned painting. Following this critical attitude he developed over a period of forty years an impressive oeuvre that experimented with the most diverse techniques, processes, and approaches of painting. His late work in particular responded to the question of what painting can be through the persistent reduction of color and light, pure qualities that draw the viewer’s fascinated eye. This publication gathers together more than 120 works of art from both America and Europe, the majority of which are being published for the first time. His endeavors in painting are contrasted to a collection of Thursz’s own texts, such as lectures, interviews, and journal entries. Here, special weight is placed on the transcriptions of the series of lectures he gave in 1983 as an instructor at the New York Studio School.