“In a painting, I try to make some logic out of the world that has been given to me in chaos....“ -Grace Hartigan
“In a painting, I try to make some logic out of the world that has been given to me in chaos....“ -Grace Hartigan
“The only way for a woman, as for a man, to find herself, to know herself as a person, is by creative work of her own.“ - Betty Friedan
One of my friends from work recommend this #chunkster and it was truly a difficult, heartbreaking, eye-opening, entertaining read. It was interesting to be able to read about these women who strongly put their mark on history and art.
It was hard to read a book about white people this last week after the murder of George Floyd and with Black Lives Matter protests at the forefront. But I did my best to separate self-care reading time from time I spent focusing on BLM. That being said, this book for my art museum book club was pretty good. As a trained art historian, it was like reconnecting with old friends and seeing their lives from a more personal angle.
1. You Don‘t Have to Say You Love Me by Sherman Alexie. Close on its heels is The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai and Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon.
2. The Unwinding of the Miracle.
3. Ninth Street Women. First 100 pages fantastic but got distracted by “required” book club books. Disappearing Earth. Stamped from the Beginning. Patti Smith‘s Just Kids.
4. Goal 55 books, 26 read!
5. If you want, take part!
Stopped by a local Library branch looking for a copy of my IRL Book Club read. Not on the shelves, but bringing it in from another branch. I really can‘t fit any more books on the stacks, but ... 15 cents?!? Came home 9th Street Women and Will Schwalbe‘s Book.
I have friends and family who are women artists;weekend museum visits a duty as a kid. This book tells the stories of Lee Krasner, Elaine de Kooning, Joan Mitchell, Grace Harriman, and Helen Frankenthaler, five pioneering artists who through focused commitment, sheer will, passion, and talent broke into the male dominated NYC abstract art world. Pain and suffering, luck, hard work, misogyny (some things still the same) but damn, Goddesses all!
I have finally started reading this book, and it's fascinating to read about the lives of these women and also the role of art when the world goes to war. Will I finish it by tomorrow's Art Book Club meeting? Doubtful, but I'll do my best!
Time to put the book down and go brave the bitter cold on a walk. Or so I‘m being told. I‘m loving this history/bio so much I bought the book. Won‘t finish by the time I have to return it and can‘t wait weeks to pick it up again. I gushed about it too much and now friends have put holds on it.
“For spiritual values and a creative tradition to continue unbroken we need concrete artifacts, the work of hands, written words to read, images to look at, a dialogue with brave and imaginative women who came before us.” Adrienne Rich
This book caught my eye on edelweiss+ and I knew better than to commit myself to a history book that I would probably get easily distracted from. Luckily our library ordered a couple of copies and my hold came in! It will definitely be a while before I start this, but I'm excited! Also this book is gorgeous (and HUGE!) Irl. #newbooks #nonfiction #arthistory #librarybooks
Last night I was thinking, "Hey, I'd really like to read a book about Elaine de Kooning, and please let it not be a book about her and her husband, because she needs a book all to herself." Then I found this, coming in November from @LittleBrownBooks , and I realized I actually DID want to read a book about all these other women, too, so now I CANNOT WAIT until Nov! This will surely be on everyone's holiday wish list.