A book of heroic dimensions, this is the first full-length
biography of one of the greatest artists of the twentieth
century--a man as fascinating, difficult, and compelling as the
paintings he produced. Drawing on exclusive access to Mark Rothko's
personal papers and over one hundred interviews with artists,
patrons, and dealers, James Breslin tells the story of a life in
art--the personal costs and professional triumphs, the convergence
of genius and ego, the clash of culture and commerce. Breslin
offers us not only an enticing look at Rothko as a person, but
delivers a lush, in-depth portrait of the New York art scene of the
1930s, '40s, and '50s--the world of Abstract Expressionism, of
Pollock, Rothko, de Kooning, and Klein, which would influence
artists for generations to come.
"In Breslin, Rothko has the ideal biographer--thorough but never
tedious, a good storyteller with an ear for the spoken word, fond
but not fawning, and possessed of a most rare ability to comment on
non-representational art without sounding preposterous."--Robert
Kiely, "Boston Book Review"
"Breslin impressively recreates Mark Rothko's troubled nature, his
tormented life, and his disturbing canvases. . . . The artist's
paintings become almost tangible within Breslin's pages, and Rothko
himself emerges as an alarming physical force."--Robert Warde,
"Hungry Mind Review"
"This remains beyond question the finest biography so far devoted
to an artist of the New York School."-Arthur C. Danto, "Boston
Sunday Globe"
"Clearly written, full of intelligent insights, and
thorough."--Hayden Herrera, "Art in America"
"Breslin spent seven years working on this book, and he has
definitely done his homework."-Nancy M. Barnes, "Boston
Phoenix"
"He's made the tragedy of his subject's life the more
poignant."--Eric Gibson, "The New Criterion"
"Mr. Breslin's book is, in my opinion, the best life of an American
painter that has yet been written . . . a biographical classic. It
is painstakingly researched, fluently written and unfailingly
intelligent in tracing the tragic course of its subject's tormented
character."--Hilton Kramer, "New York Times Book Review," front
page review
James E. B. Breslin (1936-1996) was professor of English at the
University of California, Berkeley, and author of "From Modern to
Contemporary: American Poetry, 1945-1965" and "William Carlos
Williams: An American Artist."
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