Edwin Dickinson: Dreams and Realities [Hardcover]

Douglas Dreishpoon (Author), Mary Ellen Abell (Author), Francis V. O'Connor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 23, 2002

The current monograph of the artist's ambitious work, including his multi-figured and landscape compositions of enigmatic and fantastic subjects.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Accompanying a retrospective traveling show on Dickinson (1891-1978), this is the first serious publication on the American quasi-realist and symbolist painter in two decades. Dickinson stood apart from much of the art of his time while teaching in New York City, Buffalo, and Cape Cod. He was admired by the abstract expressionists even though he did not reciprocate their feelings. His landscapes, self-portraits, large symbolist compositions, and drawings were created in various styles, but all draw from an alternative to the mainline modernist traditions. Essays by various curators and friends, among them artist Elaine de Kooning and poet John Ashbery, place Dickinson, his work, and his teaching in context in an accessible way. The book includes reproductions of the 68 paintings and 27 drawings included in the show, which was organized by Dreishpoon (curator, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY), along with photographic documentation of the artist's life. Recommended for American art collections.
Jack Perry Brown, Art Inst. of Chicago Libs.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Dreishpoon is curator of 20th-century art at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and lives in Buffalo. Abell, assistant professor at Dowling College, Oakdale, New York, resides in New York City, as does O'Connor, an independent historian of American art.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Hudson Hills Press; 1 edition (April 23, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555952143
• ISBN-13: 978-1555952143
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 9.5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,158,300 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Major Catalogue Raisonne, March 24, 2003

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Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Edwin Dickinson: Dreams and Realities (Hardcover)

EDWIN DICKINSON: DREAMS AND REALITIES is a major work. Again we have a catalogue for an exhibition (that started at the Albright-Knox Gallery in 2002 and is still traveling) that is so well written and illustrated that it becomes a standard reference for any library of art.

Dickinson is not a name that carries instant recognition outside the circles of art historians and artists. He spanned (1891 - 1978) a period in American art history which jumped from academic Realism to Cubism and Abstract Expressionism and through all of these changes he retained his own style, pausing here and there to prove that he was thoroughly informed by all the new schools in the arts while continuing his mission as a representational artist. His studios were in New York and in Cape Cod and it is here that he observed and painted the world as he saw it. Some of his canvases took years to complete: other canvases and works on paper were dashed off in a most facile fashion.

This major book celebrates an artist who probably will always be an enigma in the history of American art and brings his entire oeuvre to our attention. We are shown self portraits painted throughout his career, always a fascinating and valid way to track and artist's progress. The color reproductions are a bit bland and tend to flatten the images. Oddly the black and white drawings suffer the same fate, becoming shades of gray rather than strong lines. The various contributors to the book add a significant dimension of awe for this under-appreciated artist. It is up to the viewer of this book to judge how visually important rather than hisortically significant was Edwin Dickinson.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Profusely illustrated with 72 full color reproductions, March 10, 2003

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

This review is from: Edwin Dickinson: Dreams and Realities (Hardcover)

The collaborative effort of Douglas Dreishpoon (Curator of 20th-Century art, Albright-Knox Art Gallery), Mary Ellen Abell (Assistant Professor, Dowling College, Oakdale, New York), and independent American art historian and expert Francis V. O'Connor, Edwin Dickinson: Dreams And Realities showcases the life and work of Edwin Dickinson (1891-1978), a representational painter best known for his abstract expressionist landscapes, nudes, and still life paintings. An informative monograph details Dickinson's more than 35 years as a very highly regarded and influential American painter. Profusely illustrated with 72 full color reproductions and 91 black/white illustrations, Edwin Dickinson: Dreams And Realities is a quite welcome and very highly recommended addition to academic, personal, and professional Art History reference collections.