David C. Driskell: Artist and Scholar [Hardcover]

Julie L. McGee (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2006

David C. Driskell: Artist and Scholar traces its subject's personal, artistic, and scholarly journeys, lending context to his participation in and influence on pivotal movements in twentieth-century American art and society, Nearly two hundred images--reproductions of artworks, photographs of Driskell and his family, friends, and associates--support Julie McGee's knowledgeable and engaging text. The first biography and comprehensive monograph of one of our most respected artists and scholars, David C. Driskell: Artist and Scholar is a long-overdue tribute to a great American.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Driskell received no formal art training in either the one-room schoolhouse or the segregated high school he attended in North Carolina, but soon after he entered Howard University in 1949, his exceptional and versatile creativity began to flower. Driskell quickly set the foundation for a remarkably productive and influential life as an artist, educator, historian, curator, and humanitarian. In the first full inquiry into Driskell's life and work, art historian McGee analyzes with great empathy Driskell's philosophical struggles as he sought to both express his feelings about racial strife in America and stay true to his art. Influenced by Jack Levine, Romare Bearden, and a profound immersion in African art, Driskell is a master synthesizer, combining tradition with innovation in gloriously textured, color-saturated works of dazzling energy that embody both "introspection and playfulness." An ardent gardener, Driskell has turned to nature for inspiration, especially trees, and believes that "art is both palliative and priestly." With an abundance of incandescent reproductions of Driskell's searching and vital work, photographs documenting his life, and multifaceted and involving commentary, this unprecedented volume extends the reach of a great artist and tireless arts advocate. Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: Pomegranate Communications (September 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764937472
• ISBN-13: 978-0764937477
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #975,928 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An enthusiastically recommended and substantive addition, January 4, 2007

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: David C. Driskell: Artist and Scholar (Hardcover)

Awarded the National Humanities Medal for his contributions to American public life, "David C. Driskell: Artist And Scholar" surveys nearly fifty years of Driskell's artistry, scholarship, humanitarianism, creativity and vision, as well as his work as an artist, teacher, curator, collector, and diplomat. Simply stated, there is no one who has done more to establish the study of African American art within the canon of American art scholarship that David Driskell. Now teacher, researcher and art historian Julie L. McGree (specializing in modern and contemporary visual culture of Africa and the African diaspora and who has spent more than a decade teaching art history at Bowdoin College, Bunswick, Maine) has created a showcase of more than 200 full-color and b/w images featuring Driskell's work and life - including personal photographs of Driskell, his family, friends, and associates. More than 50 years of Driskell's paintings, drawings, prints, and collages are represented, along with an insightfully informative text providing background and biography. "David C. Driskell: Artist And Scholar" is an enthusiastically recommended and substantive addition to academic library African American Studies and American Art History reference collections.