The recent large exhibition of the painting of Mr. James Hummer drew a lot of attention to this artist. At seventy, he had been painting quietly for over filly years, and up till then he had only held small exhibitions of his works. These had brought him a small amount of fame, but suddenly everyone was talking about him and everybody knew his name. People said he was an 'important contemporary artist'. Mr. Hummer, for his part, shook his head and asked himself why people wouldn’t leave him alone. He didn’t take kindly to being famous. His friends, however, said that underneath he was charming and only outwardly seemed a little strange. They explained that he was sometimes very shy and reserved, and sometimes quite the opposite. His temper was unpredictable. In view of this, it is not surprising that when a young female journalist was sent to interview him in his tiny house, she felt extremely nervous. But the interview went worse than expected, When she arrived, Mr. Hummer was sitting at a small table, and could hardly be seen for a forest of painting-brushed in pots of water. In the middle of these was a bottle of whisky. From time to time he poured some into a paint stained mug and drank it rapidly. He smiled politely and said that of course he didn’t mind answering some questions. Putting on what she hoped was a suitably impressive voice, the girl asked him what purpose in society he thought he fulfilled as a painter. She wanted to know whether he saw his duty as a painter to be teaching people or entertaining them. The only response was a movement of surprise in the eyebrows among the painting—brushed and then a dry laugh. Finally the painter broke the silence by asking slowly what on earth she expected as an answer to such a question. He went on by saying that he didn’t see why he should have to justify himself. He merely painted pictures, and left other people to say what they meant and why he had done them. Now it was the girl's turn to look astonished. This was not the way Important Contemporary Artists were supposed to speak, as they always had their own theories. Before the age of seventy, Mr. Hummer______.