This was painted in 1989, as part of a series I call "Friezes". Their inspiration came from many sources, but ancient Egyptian wall reliefs were definitely in my mind. The people in these pictures are often passing by in front of the picture plane. In this case, they are also going in and out of doors. I never get tired of watching people going about their business. To me, the un-posed, natural movement is quite beautiful. These paintings are not meant to be realism. Instead, they are abstract paintings that incorporate realism into their structure. I later gave the series, which is still ongoing, the name, "Passacaglia". The term refers to a type of musical work, developed in the early renaissance by street musicians, who would play it as they passed by along the street.