This book will appeal to a long list of individuals--art professionals & creative artists of all disciplines; historians, librarians & archivists; those in the mental health profession; art therapists; those captivated by Pittsburgh history, Greenwich Village, the Abstract Expressionists, letters, diaries, journals, interviews & all that comprise the literary and oral tradition; those with an interest in FDRs WPA programs, psychology and life philosophies, sociology, cultural studies & the cause of women artists; and those who simply like the creatively-layered design of a true story, befitting the creative nonfiction genre. This Fantastic Struggle will certainly prompt a general adult readership to better understand a minority group, but most importantly, to examine their own passions, and their own lives.
Book Description
Rarely if ever does the creative artist receive either the recognition or the recompense he deserves and needs. Lisa A. Miles brings this truism to vibrant life in This Fantastic Struggle, the biography of Esther Phillips. Woven together with letters, interviews, scholarly source material, institution documents and art work, this unique cultural essay presents an absorbing glimpse at what it means to be an artist. Born in Russia, raised in Pittsburgh by a family that couldnt appreciate her artistic identity, Esther left for Greenwich Village in the 1930s and never looked back. And an artist Esther was, though it cost her deeply. Despite early critical success, she was not able to make a living during the Depression and was institutionalized for over six years, likely for the results of starvation and stress. After her release, she returned to her art and to the Village, where her struggle continued. Eventually she lapsed into obscurity, but not before saying she had lived a wonderful life. This Fantastic Struggle is also the story of friendship--the kind that keeps alive both friends and art work that would otherwise have been lost to the world.
Editorial Reviews
Review
A remarkable book ... both educational and provocative. -- Robert Henkes, author of American Women Painters of the '30s & '40s: The Lives and Work of Ten Artists
A remarkable book...both educational and provocative. -- Robert Henkes, author of American Women Painters of the 30s and 40s: The Lives and Work of Ten Artists
Interviews with aging bohemians and bountiful reproduced documents ... I couldn't stop reading! -- Brian Butko, editor of Western Pennsylvania History Magazine
Miles immerses her reader in a world with an intensity that matches her subject-I couldn't stop reading! -- Brian Butko, editor of Western Pennsylvania History Magazine
Miles is the most great-hearted biographer of a cantankerous artist since Irving Stone wrote of Van Gogh. -- Rozanne Knudson, author of The Amazing Pen of May Swenson
A remarkable book...both educational and provocative. -- Robert Henkes, author of American Women Painters of the 30s and 40s: The Lives and Work of Ten Artists
Interviews with aging bohemians and bountiful reproduced documents ... I couldn't stop reading! -- Brian Butko, editor of Western Pennsylvania History Magazine
Miles immerses her reader in a world with an intensity that matches her subject-I couldn't stop reading! -- Brian Butko, editor of Western Pennsylvania History Magazine
Miles is the most great-hearted biographer of a cantankerous artist since Irving Stone wrote of Van Gogh. -- Rozanne Knudson, author of The Amazing Pen of May Swenson
From the Publisher
Rarely if ever does the creative artist receive either the recognition or the recompense he deserves and needs. Lisa A. Miles brings this truism to vibrant life in This Fantastic Struggle, the biography of Esther Phillips. Woven together with letters, interviews, scholarly source material, institution documents and art work, this unique cultural essay presents an absorbing glimpse at what it means to be an artist.
Born in Russia, raised in Pittsburgh by a family that couldn't appreciate her artistic identity, Esther left for Greenwich Village in the 1930s and never looked back. And an artist Esther was, though it cost her deeply. Despite early critical success, she was not able to make a living during the Depression and was institutionalized for over six years, likely for the results of starvation and stress. After her release, she returned to her art and to the Village, where her struggle continued. Eventually she lapsed into obscurity, but not before saying she had lived a wonderful life. This Fantastic Struggle is also the story of friendship - the kind that keeps alive both friends and art work that would otherwise have been lost to the world.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What it meant to be an artist during the Depression,
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: This Fantastic Struggle: The Life & Art of Esther Phillips (Paperback)
The life and art of Esther Phillips is revealed in This Fantastic Struggle: The Life And Art Of Esther Phillips, a collection of letters, interviews, scholarly analysis, and insights on what it meant to be an artist during the Depression years and thereafter. A gorgeous centerfold display of a selection of her works accompanies pages of detail which are intricate and insightful, filled with drama and facts. The result is a comprehensive coverage of a lesser-known artist who deserves a place in history.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Private Ordeal of Abstract Expressionist Artist Worthwhile Reading,
By
This review is from: This Fantastic Struggle: The Life & Art of Esther Phillips (Paperback)
An original and intense artist, Esther Phillips moved from her native-born Pittsburgh to New York during the Great Depression, where she came to live a typical artist's minimal existence, literally starving at times. With her physical health often being run down, it was small wonder that her mental health followed suit, with her enduring much hardship, including institutionalization. One thinks of W. Somerset Maugham's portrayal of the struggling artist in Of Human Bondage, as well as of the plaintive correspondence Van Gogh conducted with his brother, much of which also literally implored him for increased financial support, though Theo was a great deal more supportive of Vincent's artistic endeavors than was Phillips' family, on the whole, of her idiosyncratic way of life. Miles' work is much more than a straightforward biography, including, as it does, many interviews, scholarly source material, art work and institution documents, obtained only after Miles had specifically petitioned the relevant authorities for their Court Ordered release.
Phillips' story is told through innumerable primary source documents and dialogues, as well as her own work, which is used to illustrate This Fantastic Struggle throughout. The correspondence between Phillips and Merle Hoyleman, her close friend and agent, as well as with fellow Greenwich Village artist Eugenia Hughes, reveals her dedication to her art. Extracts from journals also reveal the intensity of her creative life. Phillips' unique voice also emerges from transcriptions of visits that a niece took during the artist's last days. For this biography, Miles conducted over twenty extensive interviews with those who either knew her personally, or who were well acquainted with her work. Included in This Fantastic Struggle are reviews of her early Pittsburgh work, as well as information about the Washington Square Outdoor Shows, a public expo of the work of Village artists. Much of the focus of this work is also on the Federal Arts Projects, the Abstract Expressionists, women artists in general, and the impact of mental illness on the creative spirit. This Fantastic Struggle should appeal to a wide range of readers who are involved with, and who care passionately about, the arts. Miles states that her intention with the biography is to "write Esther's story for all the creative artists out there who know too well her fantastic struggle, but especially I write to many more, a vast audience probably unfamiliar with this challenging yet joyful existence known as the creative life, in hope to bring an artist's existence truly into view." Lisa's website has extensive information available about the book and all her work, which can be found at [...], and especially at [...]. Lisa is also prepared to autograph any copies bought from her website. [Reviewer for [...]]
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