Rockwell Kent: The Mythic and The Modern [Hardcover]

Jake Milgram Wien (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 8, 2005

Among the first generation of American modernist painters, Rockwell Kent rose to fame between the world wars as a visual poet of the natural world. This impressive volume includes a wide range of works from the Pushkin and Hermitage Museums in Russia, and illustrations for such literary classics as Canterbury Tales and Moby Dick. It also offers insights into the spiritual and intellectual influencesguiding Kent, and exposes his identity as a Jazz Age humourist Hogarth Jr. whose ink drawings captivated readers of Harper's Weekly and Vanity Fair. A list of solo exhibitions and a detailed chronology complete the publication.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Among the first generation of American modernist painters, Rockwell Kent (1882-1971) rose to national fame between the world wars as a visual poet of the natural world. His explorations of elemental forces of nature--glaciers, mountains, and restless seas--and his illustrated memoirs of adventure resonated with the American public. A master of many media, Kent created an oeuvre and a signature style that endure for their timeless, mythic qualities.

The evolution of Kent's artistry and his engagement with modern art and ideas are the subjects of this landmark book, which accompanies an exhibition marking the centenary of his arrival on Maine's Monhegan Island in June 1905. Organized by the Portland Museum of Art, Maine, the exhibition reunites choice works not publicly seen in several generations, including many from the Pushkin and Hermitage musuems in Russia. Kent advanced his modernist vision during sojourns in Greenland, and he crossed over into popular culture through illustrations for such literary classics as Candide, Canterbury Tales, Moby Dick, and Paul Bunyan.

This extensively researched volume offers fresh insights into the spiritual and intellectual influences guiding Kent, including his early study with Arthur Wesley Dow, a key proponent of innovative theories of design and composition. It disentangles the strands of Kent's diverse stylistic achievements and exposes his double identity as Jazz Age humorist. As "Hogarth, Jr." he contributed sparkling ink drawings of modern life that captivated readers of Harper's Weekly, the New York Tribune, and Vanity Fair. Rounding out this wide-ranging study is a full list of Kent's solo exhibitions and a detailed chronology of his life.

About the Author

Author Jake Milgram Wien, an independent curator and historian, is guest curator of Rockwell Kent: The Mythic and the Modern. He has written on Kent for books and scholarly journals. A graduate of Stanford, Oxford, and the University of California, Berkeley, he authored the catalogue accompanying The Vanishing American Frontier, a traveling exhibition he organized for the Montclair Art Museum that opened in 1995.

Richard V. West, who contributes the foreword, is director emeritus of the Frye Art Museum, Seattle. He collaborated with Kent on his last solo exhibition and organized the 1985 retrospective "An Enkindled Eye": The Paintings of Rockwell Kent.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: Hudson Hills Press (July 8, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 155595250X
• ISBN-13: 978-1555952501
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 10.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,361,877 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superbly organized, deftly written, engagingly presented showcase of American modernist painter Rockwell Kent, October 11, 2005

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

This review is from: Rockwell Kent: The Mythic and The Modern (Hardcover)

Rockwell Kent: The Mythic And The Modern is a superbly organized, deftly written, engagingly presented showcase of American modernist painter Rockwell Kent (1882-1971) by independent curator and history Jake Milgram Wien. From stunning oil on canvas to wood engraving to linecut on paper invitations, Kent's art encompasses a wide diversity of mediums, celebrating everything from the passion of lovers to the majesty of nature. The glory of Ket's work in full color is complemented by the insightful elaborations of the text vignettes concerning each piece. A most welcome contribution to personal and library artbook shelves.