In the 1970s, Mark Tansey began to develop the distinctive artistic approach that would come to define his career. This period marked a pivotal time in which Tansey, influenced by the work of René Magritte, started to explore ways to present oppositions and contradictions through painting. He aimed to bridge the gap between art and practice, symbol and meaning, by focusing on illustration and representation as essential tools. This exploration led him to create works that subtly blend different realities, inviting viewers to engage intellectually with his art. Tansey's paintings from this era, like "The Last Judgement" (1971), highlight his method of breaking down complex scenes into a grid-like format, combining photographic, illustrative, and painterly qualities​ (Wikipedia)​. During his studies at the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles from 1969-1972, Tansey became interested in appropriation, a concept that would significantly influence his representational works. His early painting "Renoir The Boating Party" (c. 1970-71) exemplifies his approach to reproducing historical art with a focus on precision and detail, moving beyond mere scholarship to engage actively with the art history canon. This period laid the groundwork for Tansey's later works, which are known for their monochromatic, photo-inspired style and intricate layering of images and words from various sources. By the late 1970s, Tansey had begun to emerge as a "painter-historian," blending pictorial rhetoric with playful alterations of his historical influences​ (Borghi)​. Tansey's early works were groundbreaking, challenging the prevailing trends of abstract and conceptual art dominant at the time. By the 1980s, he had successfully established himself in the art world, with his signature style gaining recognition and being acquired by prestigious institutions. However, as his themes, style, and humor remained consistent, his works began receiving criticism by the 1990s for their perceived failure to evolve. Critics debated Tansey's approach to simplifying complex issues through humor, and some questioned the effectiveness of his painting surfaces. Despite these critiques, Tansey's work from the 1970s and onwards remains an important exploration of the nature of painting and representation​ (Phillips)​​ (Wikipedia)​.