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Born in Ohio, Kitaj came to Britain in 1958, training in Oxford and at the Royal College. Surrealism and inconographical studies heavily influence his work. This painting, pronounced as if Tedium, has as its source a photograph of a production of No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre. The giant figure on the right is Goethe, who gazes out of the window. His languid stance reflects the title and refers to Ennui, a painting by W. R. Sickert that encapsulates human discontent.