Koch rarely allowed the outside world to intrude on the serenity on the serenity of his studio, a place where the spell of work was rarely broken. “Every canvas was carefully planned. He made many sketches in advance,” said friend Carole Pesner. End of Day shows a painter reclining in apparent exhaustion though still full absorbed in contemplating his work. Next to his easel is his model’s dressing gown, draped over the chair so often seen in Koch’s work, ready for tomorrow’s session. While the room is clearly John Koch’s studio, the artist has depicted someone else in it.—Mina Rieur Weiner, 2001
