Surrealistic themes and techniques of painting created by the masters of that
genre had begun to influence his work towards the end of his stay in Los
Angeles. He began to feel the urge to expand his artistic vocabulary, and soon
his fascination with photo and hyper realism began to fully absorb him. With
this turning point came a necessary change of location, to New York, the
cultural melting pot that was to be his next stop on the arduous path to
becoming a respected artist.
Experts and critics recognized that these new works contained a strong
influence of abstract elements within the hyper realism. Banziger;
"The precise definition of my then used style is not easy to describe. I
had the desire to compose something more than just 'pretty surfaces' and reach
beyond just pure photo realism."
As a result, he started to pursue a style encompassing photo illusions, thought
provoking juxtapositions, images of people mirrored in the glass facades of the
high rises of metropolitan New York. Continues Banziger;
"Big cities are like human beehives. Here, there is a magnetic allure and
fascination, containing complex socio economic currents, that give New Yorkers
a narcissistic self image. They view themselves as masters of time and destiny,
recognizing themselves and their attitudes in the 'mirrors' of the glass walls
of modern skyscrapers. I tried to capture this haughty attitude and somewhat
arrogant stance throughout this whole series of paintings."
The result of these efforts was a resounding success at West Broadway.
Banziger's reputation grew through the acclaim received in both the American
and international press, including a program on NBC television showcasing his
work, and a lengthy article in the New York Times.
The dominant role which New York played for many years in Banziger's life
retreated somewhat in 1987, when he resumed his regular trips to Europe with a
strong preference for Italy. He kept his studio at Union Square, but questions
began to creep into his mind, about what made Americans feel so grand when
confronting the rest of the world.
"The vitality and violence that was America attracted me and disgusted me
at the same time. These ambivalent feelings are best expressed in a painting I
did of the Statue of Liberty. The rose colored statue hovers above the clouds
highlighting the irony of her message…that this is everyone's 'promised land'."