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“The narrator of the story, a guy named Thurber, starts off by recounting why he’s filled with anxiety on a daily basis, particularly as concerns subway tunnels or anything that would take him underground. He recounts how he came to be in this particular state through his interactions with a painter named Richard Upton Pickman, who paints very ghoulish pictures. His artwork is not typically welcomed within more polite society because of the subject matter that he chooses to pursue. But Thurber recognizes that his artistry really is quite exquisite, that Pickman is quite an accomplished painter, even if the subject matter that he chooses is not what one would consider to be tasteful. So Pickman invites Thurber to his studio, where he sees the various paintings in progress.” Read more...
Jeffrey Weinstock, Literary Scholar