This catalogue was produced in conjunction with the Renaissance Society's 1993 mid-career survey of this influential painter and teacher, who has worked primarily in Chicago since 1973. The sensuous surfaces and revealing construction methods of Carswell's work expand and explore the component parts of painting--surface, structural support, pigment--in order to better communicate their distinctions and interdependence. Carswell merges his structural analysis with the sheer beauty of his surfaces to create synthesized painting/objects. A must-read for anyone interested in the continued relevance of painting as a beautiful and critical art form.