Overview

Robert Motherwell was by far the most intellectual and verbal of the abstract expressionists. This book, written by a friend of the artist and well-known international writer and critic Mary Ann Caws, examines Motherwell's way of thinking and writing in relation to his paintings. The artist, American by birth, yet simultaneously American and European in his way of visualizing and vocalizing artistic and philosophical traditions, has always worked between these two poles, and it is this tension that imbues his oeuvre with its particular intensity. The author bases her analysis of Motherwell on the artist's own writings and readings, as well as on extensive conversations and interviews with him. Her book highlights his deep attraction to France and French literature and art, and his conern with the idea of elegy and the tragedy of the Spanish Civil War. His singularly American genius provided him with a manner of painting and thinking unique among the Abstract Expressionists, as well as with a distinctive and highly personal filter through which to interpret his fascination with European literature and history. Caws considers Motherwell's work and interests in relation to those of other Abstract Expressionists as well as to the work of the Surrealists. She analyzes such key works as Lament for Lorca , the nrf collages, the Elegies , The Voyage and The Voyage Ten Years After , and A Throw of the Dice .

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9781861891419

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Mary Ann Caws is Distinguished Professor of Comparative Literature, English and French at the City University of New York. She is the author of Andre Breton (1996), The Surrealist Look: An Erotics of Encounter (1997) and Dora Maar: With and Without Picasso (2000).

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