ABSTRACT
From the late 1960s H ilto n 's p ro d u c tio n of o il-pain tings w as low an d variable. P erhaps h is b es t la te oil from th a t p e rio d w as the Setagaya M u seu m 1970 canvas (see P late x iii). This has in d e term in a te body -suggestions w ith in an ea rth -b row n area, w ith tw o germ inating 'sh o o ts ' below an d , above, fo rm s like b reasts o r knees, clear of th e ea rth y e t roo ted in it. This is an im age th a t p laces the h u m a n in a co n tin u u m w ith the vegetal. It does so ag a in st a v ision of life 's ran d o m n ess an d d isso lu tion , one in w h ich life also p roves obstinate ly on-going. H orizon ta l an d vertical axes suggest such m ean in g w ith all the econom y of h is 1953-4 w orks, b u t en riched b y h is cu ltu ra lly coded p a in tqualities. The specta to r is m ad e to focus on the specific o rd er of th e p a in tin g itself; ye t the w o rk also m akes the v ie w e r 's m in d w a n d e r bey o n d itself,1 w ith its a lm ost m yth ic im plications, ex tend ing to a w hole v ision of life in the face of d isso lu tion an d death .
