- Hardcover: 288 pages
- Publisher: St. Martin's Press; First Edition edition (April 22 2000)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0312208987
- ISBN-13: 978-0312208981
- Product Dimensions: 23.9 x 15.2 x 3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 635 g
- Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
"Ars longa, Vita brevis," noted Hippocrates, but time gave art a run for its money in the decades-long careers of the artists, writers, photographers, producers and salon-keepers chronicled in Leddick's group biography of Lynes, Cadmus, Kirstein, Glenway Westcott, Monroe Wheeler, Pavel Tchelitchev, Charles Henri Ford and Parker Tyler. These artists--all gay men who had significant influence on the New York visual art, theatrical and literary scenes from the 1930s to the '50s--have never received the critical or biographical attention Leddick believes they deserve. In a fresh approach to material he first covered in Naked Men: Pioneering Male Nudes (1997), Leddick charts not only the men's intersecting professional careers but how their personal and sexual lives contributed to their creativity and vision. One of his central narratives details how Kirstein drew upon the creative efforts of Lynes and Cadmus in his American Ballet Company, and how the two visual artists also pursued important careers of their own. By turns compassionate about and amused by the romantic and sexual connections among these men, Leddick is at his best when describing how Kirstein married Cadmus's sister and how Lynes became the lover of Wheeler and, later, the third member of Wheeler's "marriage" to Westcott. However, Leddick's history can be sketchy and lacks a sustained view of the artists' broader social context. Often, he mistakes personal detail--such as Westcott's distress over the size of his penis--for insight rather than gossip. Ultimately, however, Leddick makes a strong case for why his subjects remain vital and important American artists. (May)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Photographer Platt Lynes, ballet impresario Kirstein, and painter Cadmus, who just died at the age of 94, each made important contributions to his field. Together, they were part of an ever-changing group of artistic talents and promoters who guided New York's--meaning America's--cultural development from the 1930s to the 1950s. That they and many of their colleagues were gay is one of the imprecisely developed themes here--implying some sort of proto-Lavender Mafia. Novelist Leddick came to the project after researching the subjects of photos for his Naked Men: Pioneering Male Nudes (Universe, 1997), and he has clearly undertaken much useful research, garnering candid interviews with many relatives, lesser lights, and with Cadmus himself. He seems unable to cope with the raw data, however, and inelegantly strings together facts, conjecture, and gossip in chapters that alternately focus on each participant. Never does the "circle" gel, nor is it even clear why these three figures should form the locus of this book. Recommended only for academic and large public gay studies collections as a source for further research on these important men.
-Eric Bryant, "Library Journal"
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
-Eric Bryant, "Library Journal"
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
Paul Cadmus was born in 1904, and Lincoln Kirstein in 1907, shortly after George Platt Lynes, who was also born in 1907. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Paul Cadmus was born in 1904, and Lincoln Kirstein in 1907, shortly after George Platt Lynes, who was also born in 1907. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Mr. Leddick Tries To Do Too Much.,
By
This review is from: Intimate Companions: A Triography of George Platt Lynes, Paul Cadmus, Lincoln Kirstein, and Their Circle (Hardcover)
I picked up this book because I like the work of George Platt Lynes and Paul Cadmus a lot. I also read and liked very much Mr. Leddick's first novel and own a couple of his books on male nude photography. (I have little interest in Lincoln Kirstein or ballet either.) I finished this book not having learned much about either of these two men that I cared to remember. Part of the problem is that Mr. Leddick attempts too much. He is art critic, photography critic, dance critic, literary critic as well as consummate gossip. Additionally since there are no footnotes in this book, the reader has no idea whether Leddick's conclusions about anything are his or something he gleaned from the list of sources at the back of the book. Take the opening sentence from Leddick's chapter on Katherine Anne Porter: "Katherine Anne Porter is among the most esteemed women writers of the twentieth century in America." Is that Mr. Leddick's opinion-- and what qualifies him to make such a judgment-- or the literary critics who tell us whom we should read? Incidentally, Ms. Porter comes off as a most distasteful person. Mr. Leddick paints her as homophobic although she obviously hung out with a lot of people whose lives she couldn't tolerate. He might have discussed her racism as well if he wanted to really give us a rounded view of this pretty ugly woman.I would have preferred more insight into what made Mr. Lynes one of America's great photographers and less information and speculation as to whom he did bed or might have taken to bed. Mr. Leddick does discuss at some length many of Cadmus' paintings. Without the actual reproductions preferably in color, however, it is impossible to know whether or not this writer has a clue as to what he is discussing. Mr. Leddick does briefly discuss Lynes' influence on later photographers, particularly Bruce Weber and Herb Ritts. For my money, Lynes is the best photographer of the male nude this country has had. His studio lighting is creative and quite wonderful. Just look at the photographs of anyone who followed him to see the long shadow he cast. (And all this inventive and difficult lighting before the strobe. At least there were no monotonous umbrella reflections in the eyes of Lynes' models.) Robert Mapplethorpe--whose work I admire a lot-- but who lit every photograph he ever took pretty much the same way-- could certainly have learned a plenty from studying Lynes' lighting. So if you want to appreciate these two men-- study their works and made your own judgments. Mr. Leddick has edited a fine book on Mr. Lynes' photographs and there are several fine books on Cadmus in color.
1.0 out of 5 stars
[weak],
By A Customer
This review is from: Intimate Companions: A Triography of George Platt Lynes, Paul Cadmus, Lincoln Kirstein, and Their Circle (Paperback)
This is an abyssally written, horribly researched, inaccurate, unorganized babble of idle gossip about some truly great artists and writers. The author should not attempt to write about things beyond his limited ken. What a travesty that a publisher would agree to print such garbage!
3.0 out of 5 stars
an ardent fan of Paul Cadmus's work,
By A Customer
This review is from: Intimate Companions: A Triography of George Platt Lynes, Paul Cadmus, Lincoln Kirstein, and Their Circle (Paperback)
My sole reason for acquiring this book was to learn more of the very private-seeming artist Paul Cadmus and to uderstand how he and Lincoln Kirstein came to be inlaws. As a result of the focus on George Platt Lynes, I will pursue more of his work as well. This narrative/history clarifies the various Cadmus paintings featuring Platt Lynes, Monroe Wheeler, and Glenway Westcott plus additional models. Personally, their sexual orientation is of no interest to me. Their art and contributions to art are indisputable. I enjoyed Mr. Leddick's presentation, which was fun and breezy. I look forward to locating Platt Lynes exhibitions and hope to view original Cadmus paintings before long. As for Jared French, imagine my surprise to discover a painting of his at the Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, NY. Not once was there a single mention that any of these gentlemen might be fans of baseball, but you just never know, do you.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
