Customer Reviews

Letters of Charles Demuth, American Artist, 1883-1935: With Assessments of His Work by His Contemporaries

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This book is full of letters to all of Demuth's family and friends. It is sometimes hard to understand what it is that he means in his letters, there are brief and funny, without the corresponding letters of his friends. However the criticisms that were published by his associates and friends, especially those of Henry McBride, are well worth the money this book cost

This is a compilation of the letters of one of the most accomplished watercolorists of the early twentieth century. Unfortunately, very little context is given by the editors for the letters' contents. A bit of research into the circumstances described in the letters would have given us some much-needed insight into his life.

Part of the problem is the fact that Demuth wrote about trivial things in his letters, and kept fairly private about his poor health, artistic frustrations, and his gay identity. There is precious little to read about this man, and this book is essential for anyone interested in this artist.