Customer Reviews

Edwin Dickinson: Dreams and Realities

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.