Franz Kline - Hardcover

Harry F. Gaugh

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1558597700 ISBN 13: 9781558597709

Publisher: Abbeville Press, 2020

Synopsis

Acclaimed as the definitive volume on artist Franz Kline, this book provides firsthand accounts of his Bohemian life and powerful work.

A model of art-historical writing, Franz Kline is, remarkably, still the only available monograph on its subject. With its detailed yet thoroughly readable text and 170 illustrations (many published here for the first time), this book brings to light much new information about Kline, a leading figure among the Abstract Expressionists, and enriches our appreciation and understanding of his art. This book belongs on the book shelf of everyone with an interest in American painting.

Franz Kline's energetic black strokes on a white field are as recognizable as Jackson Pollock’s drips or Mark Rothko’s rectangles of glowing color. He spent years struggling to find a style for himself and then achieved "overnight success" with his dramatic black and white abstractions. They were, in fact, so successful that they overwhelmed every other aspect of Kline's art, and as a result he has been oversimplified and underestimated. Based on nearly 20 years of research, this seminal monograph provides a comprehensive view of Kline's life and work and reveals how unexpectedly complex they both were.

Using interviews with the artist's friends and critics, and quoting from his letters, the author, Harry F. Gaugh, has created an evocative portrait of Kline's evolution from ambitious art student, to penniless Greenwich Village artist painting murals in bars, to, finally, a mature artist in command of his own unique and hard-won style.

About this title

Review:

Praise for Franz Kline:

"One of the best new books on postwar American art...A sympathetic, though unsparing, account of the artist's life is interwoven expertly with the history of his work, resulting in an exemplary study of a contemporary painter's career." — San Francisco Examiner–Chronicle

"The first book-length study on the artist. It is sharp and informative and it contains a good deal of new documentation." — The New York Times

"This monograph is well researched...and generously illustrated with good color plates. The chronology, notes, bibliography, and personal photographs are valuable resources." — Choice

Synopsis:

Franz Kline spent years struggling to find a style for himself and then achieved "overnight success" with his dramatic black-and-white abstractions. They were in fact, so successful that they overwhelmed every other aspect of Kline's art, and as a result, he has been oversimplified and underestimated. Based on nearly 20 years of research, this monograph provides a comprehensive view of Kline's life and work and reveals how unexpectedly complex they both were. Using interviews with the artist's friends and critics, and quoting from his letters, the author has created an evocative portrait of Kline's evolution from ambitious art student, to penniless Greenwich Village artist painting murals in bars, to finally, a mature artist in command of his own unique and hard-won style. With its detailed, readable text and 170 illustrations, this book brings to light much information about Kline and aims to enrich our appreciation and understanding of his art.

About this edition

• Publisher: Abbeville Press
• Publication date: 2020
• ISBN 10: 1558597700
• ISBN 13: 9781558597709
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 192