"Q: What is your opinion of U.S. involvement in Iraq?

A: We talk a lot about that over here. We talk about that all the time. Let me talk about it in the following way: There is a very famous printmaker and etcher named Goya. This is 1798. He did a very famous series called "The Disasters of War," and it's about when Napoleon invaded Spain. He talks a lot about the atrocities. French soldiers are raping civilians. Civilian casualties. This is pretty graphic stuff. The thing is, he doesn't choose sides. It's just an expression of the darker side of humanity. He's Spanish but he doesn't say it's all about Spain being good and the French are evil. He's saying that the Spanish, were just as evil as the French. Everybody is bad. He doesn't take sides in this war, despite that you think he would because he's Spanish.

And so, today we're still looking at Goya. He's a great artist. His work hasn't passed into mere history. It's something deeper. It's a deeper expression. So, as an artist, there's the politics of today, but then there's art. This is all true. It's all true. Everything is true. Every paradox, every contradiction, everything is true. You listen to the American press and they're saying, "Ra ra, this is all great. We are all heroes. Wave the flags and sing the songs." You listen to the Russian press, the French press, the TV, they are showing exactly the same images we are seeing on CNN, and they are talking about imperialists butchering civilians. It's the same picture, but it's all true. Which perspective is true? It's all true. That's my view on the war. It's the defeat of humanity." (Professor Profile, The Cavalier Daily, April 8, 2003)