"Podstolski's oeuvre is marked by paradox and contradiction. It is at once a journey to discover the self and an attempt to break free of individual constraints. There is an intuitive primitive tendency that belies the self-consciousness of this approach. His work embodies the tension between his identity as 'outsider' and the humanist desire to be linked to a wider collective identity. Despite this apparent incommensurability, Podstolski remains dedicated to the idea that his art must be an authentic expression of his true self; a self that is endlessly difficult to pin down, often conflicted and shadowed by doubt. Many of the ideals that are important to his painting had their 'golden day' in the modernist era and have since been challenged and reformulated in contemporary discourse. No matter for Podstolski who pursues his own agenda with a singular vision. Even if the innate, authentic self to which he appeals is naught but a chimera, a completely illusory concept, it is for Podstolski the very necessary illusion that governs his art."

Barbara Garrie, Necessary Illusion: Max Podstolski & the Primitive Bird Group, Art New Zealand no. 118, Autumn 2006, p. 62-65