On
this page you'll find links to recommended art books and movies as well as book
reviews...
available
from SandraFrazier.com, Mystic-Art Media and Amazon.com
Book
Reviews
|
BOOK |
SandyReviews |
|
By Gerald Clarke |
Tragic Triumphant Truman After seeing the two movies about Truman Capote's writing of "In Cold Blood" (Capote and Infamous), I wanted to first read the letters he'd written during this period which helped me to understand what really went on sans the Hollywood-izing of the story. But the letters were even better - juicier and more colourful than any Hollywood version; and I was compelled to read most of the rest of them from other periods in his life. Then I read some of his short stories (starting with the haunting "Miriam") and his first novel. But nothing could have prepared me for the story Gerald Clarke told of his friend, Truman. It's an American success story and yet one of the worst tragedies I've ever read. What a colourful man! I was amazed at every word, every thought he recorded. I wished I could conjure his spirit to teach me to be a better writer. To my delight, the letters led me to his instruction of a young writer and I began to do as Truman said as though he were teaching me from the great beyond: "One cannot be taught to write. One can only learn to write by writing -
and reading. Reading good
books written by real artists - until you understand why they are
good." "One only really learns from what one
enjoys." "Good writing isn't (necessarily) fancy writing." He always said to write what you know and called his
character depictions 'portraits.' "A
writer ought to have all his colors, all his abilities available on the same
palette for mingling..." Reading Clarke's biography together with Truman's letters gave me a renewed passion for literature and transported me back to my teens when I began to write poetry and prose and was forced to read Faulkner and Malamud. It all came back to me; those lessons had lain dormant in me all these years and Capote brought them forth. Truman always turned the drab fantastic: "In the falling quiet there was no sky or earth,
only snow lifting in the wind, frosting the window glass chilling the rooms,
deadening and hushing the city." And I realized he was one of the ultimate mystic artists: They said of Truman: "A mediumistic voice speaks
through him in the most impeccable of accents." "In times of terror or immense distress, there
are moments when the mind waits, as though for a revelation, while a skein of
calm is woven over thought; it is like a sleep, or a supernatural trance; and
during this lull one is aware of a force of quiet reasoning..." Every writer needs to read Capote, who always unabashedly revealed every aspect of himself to the world - his struggles, his pain, his triumphs and tragedies. It was obvious how difficult writing was for him; it took all the energy he could muster to stay focused on a project. "It is as though one were a secretary
transcribing the words of a voice from a cloud. The difficulty is maintaining contact with this spectral
dictator." All this from a self-taught, self-made southern boy who came from worse than a broken home. He got his first job at 17 at the New Yorker where he made his mark and wrote for periodicals and women's magazines at a time when they published fiction; and he attended the writers' colony - Yaddo in Syracuse, NY - and learned from the older men in his life who became his lovers. Truman was a world traveler, moving in two distinct circles of people: the rich and famous with whom he hobnobbed and sailed the seas; and a small group of a few of his close friends, who were more honest with him and allowed him to just be himself. He made friends of enemies and enemies of friends - through his writing and his paradoxical ways; and his tortured love life and terrible struggles with addictions are detailed quite vividly here. The biography was obviously a very difficult undertaking for Gerald Clarke and, like Truman's writing of "In Cold Blood," stretched on for many years more than he'd planned. The story of Truman's life up to "In Cold Blood" was exciting, amazing and a marvelous success story. The chapters of his life after completing his masterpiece and up to his death were the rest of the story of a slow, agonizing downward spiral on the road to a terrible end. But Truman led an astonishing life full of interesting events, travels, and people of extraordinary renown and it's best to try to remember the man's art - though most believe he squandered away a good part of his life and talent - for there would have been a huge void in the world without him. Listen to an interview with Gerald
Clarke about Truman Capote HERE. |
|
Matisse the
Master: A Life of Henri Matisse: The Conquest of Colour: 1909-1954 By Hilary Spurling [and] The Unknown Matisse:
A Life of Henri Matisse: The Early Years, 1869-1908 By Hilary Spurling |
Art is the Air That I Breathe "Artists are like plants whose growth in the thickets of the jungle depends on the air they breathe, and the mud or stones among which they grow by chance and without choice." Matisse's words coupled with his life as proof of what van Gogh said about the love of art making one lose real love make the reader feel the pain, the joy and the rich colours of his life all that much more. He made us understand. Hilary Spurling's masterpiece (savoured by
me for endless months, days and hours) has been an extraordinary experience I
never wanted to end - both volumes.
And now her biography is all locked in my mind - hopefully, to be
recalled again and again in painting after painting and life experience after
love experience - thanks to all the years of her hard work and research. I am now filled with the colours of the
Master - just as he'd installed 'The Tree of Life' in "a change of key
that brought an extraordinary clarity, serenity and stillness to the music of
the chapel." If the student of
art, the student of life might only read pp. 455-456, he/she would be amazed
at one whose talents were mocked ("any child could paint better than
Matisse." ... "...his inventions seemed not simply monstrous but
blasphemous as well.") and would ache to have had the chance to be a
simple fly on the wall in those last years of his life when the many energies
swirled about his taxi beds and many wond'rous studios ever-changing,
metamorphosing, revealing and displaying, nurturing, teaching...
revolutionary! Let us not forget his bedrocks - the women
who made all his successes possible are miraculous and astonishing: Lydia,
Matisse's remarkable genius manager (we should all be so lucky to know such a
dynamo); Amelie, his extraordinary wife and her 'nine lives'; of course,
Marguerite, his daughter, whose amazing vitality and strength of character
resounds on almost every page of his life story; she was one (by her great courage)
who humbled him more than anyone else could; and the countless models and
interns. As a side note... I remember in January 2006 when Hilary Spurling "scooped
one of Britain's most prestigious literary awards," Whitbread Book of
the Year prize, just as the big scandal exploded about Oprah's book club
"author" protégé/scam artist James Frey was exposed. I thought to myself, "There is still
a god!" What kind of mindless
person would turn to Oprah for advice on what to read in the first
place?! What does she know about
literature? I am humbled at Hilary Spurling's great
accomplishment and would love to meet her one day so I could sing her the song I
wrote about Matisse and the story of his blue butterfly. "The blue of
that butterfly and Cezanne made you more of a
spiritual man." |
|
Vincent and
Theo Van Gogh: A Dual Biography By Jan Hulsker,
Johann Van Gogh |
Walking With
Vincent & Theo I must say, I found this book totally by accident at the
Strand in NYC and it was so big, I had to have it shipped home. I am so
grateful to the gods who led me to this masterpiece of a book. I had read
other biographies on Vincent van Gogh, but Jan Hulsker is where every person
interested in Vincent's art, life and his brother should begin. I felt like I
was walking with Vincent and Theo through every day of their lives,
understanding all the joys and pain, the disappointments and elation. Dr.
Hulsker is THE authority on all things van Gogh and for every question you've
ever had or happening you've wondered about, he has the answer... here in
this thorough and easy-to-read book. He corrects us on every myth and
misconception and breaks us of old habits we've all probably developed when
thinking of van Gogh. Most important of all: Dr. Hulsker understood that
Vincent and Theo were one person - without Theo there was no Vincent and
without Vincent there was no Theo. I'd recommend following this book with the
letters of Theo and Jo van Gogh-Bonger. |
|
Brief
Happiness: The Correspondence of Theo Van Gogh and Jo Bonger By Theo Van Gogh,
et al |
Not Just for the
Student of Art... What a wonderful
book! Not just for the student of art... reading this correspondence could
inspire us all. It is fresh, vivid and frank. And it is a reminder that
before e-mail, we once wrote letters... before telephones, we once poured our
hearts out on paper... before television, we exercised our brains and spent
time building relationships. It's ironic how
often Jo and Theo mention how inadequate they are at expressing themselves on
paper, when actually the opposite is true. In these letters that we are so
privileged to be able to read, they are so considerate and thoughtful of each
other's feelings and actually get inside each other's minds by reading and
expressing thoughts on paper. In this way, their time apart is spent getting
to know each other, almost as much as if they were in the same room. [more...] |
|
Noa Noa: The
Tahiti Journal of Paul Gauguin By Paul Gauguin, et al |
Understanding
Gauguin This is a lovely
book... and, brief though it is, helped me to understand more about Gauguin's
reasons behind his actions. I read it at a perfect time - when the Metropolitan
Museum of Art in NY was holding one of their most important exhibits on
Gauguin and featured his woodcuts. It's a colourful, passionate and painful
journey. |
|
By Philip Callow |
Good Writing,
Difficult Reading The writing was
magnificent in its prose, but very difficult reading. I found it hard to get absorbed
in the actual life of Cezanne - and maybe it's because his was a relatively
uneventful life, so it had to be elaborated upon - and sometimes felt as
though I was actually reading a biography of Zola. The style of inserting
massive passages of quotes just threw me off a bit because just when it felt
like I was flowing with it, there came another big, long passage from the
sources. I can understand that there was a lot going on all AROUND Cezanne
during his life, but I would have preferred to get more into his mind instead
of trying to explain things through others' experiences at that time. |
|
By Anne Higonnet |
Get to Know this
Complex Woman Berthe was
obviously an anomaly in her day and age... and, being self-deprecating and
reticent, might've actually wished to be forgotten. She WAS literally
forgotten for many years after her death. I am grateful to Ms. Higonnet for
writing the book, but I felt throughout the reading that, although it was
obvious Ms. H. admired Berthe, she didn't truly understand her. It bothered
me that most of the book was about OTHER people, although her life DID seem to
be about OTHER people. Berthe was generous and hidden, yet daring and
"out there." It was probably very difficult to find the true
Berthe. She was obviously very much beloved by the other Impressionists and
her contributions as the catalyst of the group were immeasurable. But I
wanted to know more. I didn't like it that each time she had an
accomplishment, it seemed to be overshadowed, in the biography, by moving on
to the accomplishments of one of the other more luminous figures in her
world. Berthe was beautiful, dedicated, a wonderful mother and wife... after
years of pressure by society and her own parents whose biggest fear was that
she was to stay a "spinster" (who the HECK invented that
word???)... I really felt for Berthe. But was she bulimic? Was she anorexic?
What WAS the true nature of her mental challenges? I'd like to have seen some
more of that area explored - as it has been so deeply investigated in the
case of Vincent van Gogh. Whatever her maladies, we've got to admire the fact
that she, unlike Mary Cassatt, DID have it all - career, family, home life,
social recognition... and balanced it all so beautifully. But I wished Ms.
Higonnet had given us just a bit more to grasp onto. |
|
Van Gogh: His
Life And His Art By David Sweetman |
A Rare Glimpse
into Vincent's Mind I read this book
several years ago and it taught me so much about art, life, love and passion
that Sweetman's biography resonates in me still. Vincent is the most famous
artist on the planet today and so much has been written about him. But David
Sweetman really took the time to update so much information - just as he did
in Gauguin's biography - that you learn so much more by reading this book. I
recommend it to everyone who wants to understand about mental illness and all
the stigma that goes with it. Vincent was very brave to rise above his pain
and blessed the world with so much beauty and colour. This text refers to the
hardcover book. |
|
By Nancy Mowll Mathews |
Getting to Know
Mary in All Her Intricacies Nancy Mathews gets to the point... her book is wonderfully
researched and weaves through the intricately woven fabric of Cassatt's life;
yet she doesn't bog you down with too many details. I enjoyed every page of
this book and felt like I got an honest portrayal of the woman, her art and
the reasons behind the decisions she made. I especially thank Nancy for her
sympathetic yet analytical overview of the many misunderstandings that have
been perpetuated year after year about Cassatt and other women artists in the
late 19th/early 20th century. I'm glad to know the truth. This biography left me in awe of Mary Cassatt who was
obviously a focused, smart and privileged person at a time when many male
artists were barely making ends meet. She was unafraid of the establishment,
outspoken and determined, not to mention a smart businesswoman. The only
thing I disagree with is when the author states that at 51 Mary Cassatt "was
faced with an unusually hard burden of loneliness." Mary Cassatt was
blessed with many friends, family and admirers and moved in a great many
social circles all her life. She rarely veered from her chosen path. But the
greatest lesson we can learn from Ms. Cassatt is to stay focused on our life
purpose and to honour our own lives with the best we can give of ourselves. |
|
Le tresor des
humbles (The Treasure of the Humble) By Maurice Maeterlinck |
Maeterlinck to the
World Treasure of the
Humble was one of the most inspiring books I've ever read. Maeterlinck had a
way of writing that was so unique; he was able to communicate his thoughts in
a universal language, which transcended oceans of time. Experience him and
you won't soon forget... his haunting words will remain forever imprinted
upon your soul. A Treasure to All
Who Are Lucky Enough to Encounter... |
|
By David Sweetman |
The First &
Only Bio of Gauguin Brilliant
biographer David Sweetman has created a masterpiece with his biography of
Gauguin. I don't know how he did it; but I was in awe throughout the reading
of this well-thought-out and researched book. Gauguin was a complicated man;
and through his exhaustive research, Sweetman gives us the rare opportunity
to journey with one of the most colourful and oft-misunderstood artists in
history. There are so many new facts uncovered in this book... I could feel
the spirit of Gauguin rise up and rebel... |
|
John Lennon:
One Day at a Time: A Personal Biography of the Seventies By Anthony Fawcett |
John Lennon 101 Musicians,
writers, artists and fans alike should read this candid biopic into the lives
of John & Yoko during the prime of their lives and popularity. They were involved.
They were controversial. They were naive. They were important and
outspoken... and most of all, vulnerable. Anthony Fawcett was more than
sympathetic... he was privileged to find himself involved at a time when the
magic of John Lennon transcended who he even thought he was. Forever dispels
the silly myth that Yoko, Linda or anything other than John's decision broke
up the Beatles. |
|
Selected
Letters of Dylan Thomas By Dylan Thomas |
You Want to Know
Dylan? Every artist,
musician and writer needs to read this book. It is truly amazing and has
influenced me for many years - from the first time I read it back in the
early 80's. It is a teacher, a guide, a glimpse into the mind of one of the
greatest poets of the 20th century. Dylan inspired a great many of the most
acclaimed musicians, we know that... but what is not widely known is his
influence on painters and other artists. He is a treasure and his letters,
thank God, are here for us to learn from. I felt as though I was there with
him each day throughout all his struggles and the rare triumphs that
followed... |
|
The Blue Bird
and the Betrothal By Maurice Maeterlinck |
Maeterlinck Lives! This book has
inspired much of my own art, music and writings and is an endless source of
wonder. I first learned about it while reading a book about rare silent
films. To my knowledge, the original silent film is so rare, there is only
one copy in a vault somewhere... but the beauty of Maeterlinck's writings
stay with you forever... and on into eternity as he had intended. One of the
most imaginative writers of this century. |
|
Edited By Pat Hackett |
I've Been "Glued" for Weeks! "Went home lonely and despondent
because nobody loves me and it's Easter, and I cried." [4-17-81] When I
reached that line in the diaries, I think I truly fell in love with Andy. He
was a total observer of life and pierced a depth of feeling in his aloneness.
He seemed to be a walking nerve and picked up every nuance of life and all
the personalities surrounding him. |
Click on the Amazon logo and order books,
movies, CDs and gifts to help support SandraFrazier.com:
Impressionism
and Post-Impressionism
|
Impressionism (and Post-Impressionism) is,
without a doubt, the most popular movement in art... for a very good reason.
Even those who know very little about art can often spot a Renoir ['Pierre-Auguste
Renoir, Painter'] a van Gogh or a Monet. Today
Vincent van Gogh draws crowds the way the Beatles did in the '60s. ['Van Gogh's
Van Goghs'] One Gauguin exhibition at the Metropolitan
Museum of Art in NYC I attended was packed for weeks, maybe months. ['The Lure of
the Exotic: Gauguin in New York Collections'] Visiting a Monet exhibit a few years ago at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, I had
to stand in line for hours! One of the finest shows I've seen on the
Impressionists was 'Impressionist
Still Life' at the Museum of Fine Arts in
Boston... incredibly moving! [See: 'Pissarro' ... 'The
Impressionists - The Other French Revolution' ... 'Manet'] In the former
studio of the photographer Nadar at 35 boulevard des Capucines, Paris, April
15, 1874, a group of artists, rejected by the juries of the Salon, offered
their work for public view. Although some critics appreciated the "new
painting," most subjected the artists to ridicule. The work of the
"Impressionists" eventually led to what is now recognized as Modern
Art... and the great movements of the Fauves, Matisse, Picasso, Basquiat...
and so on. The father of modern art, Paul Cezanne, inspired most of the
greatest artists of the 20th century. ['Cezanne
Biography'] And we never seem to be able to get
enough of their gorgeous colours, their intensity and luminosity, and want to
be moved by them over and over. The twilight of
the fin-de-sicle era ['Explosive
Acts: Toulouse-Lautrec, Oscar Wilde, Felix Feneon, and the Art & Anarchy
of the Fin de Siecle'] - Paris at the
turn of the century - was a magical time for painters such as Toulouse-Lautrec, 'Suzanne
Valadon: The Mistress of Montmartre', Degas and
the others who were pioneers of an exciting new style... as wonderfully
depicted in the recent 'Moulin Rouge'. Monet was the great master of Impressionism... and Mary
Cassatt was bold, smart, driven... a woman ahead of her time who paved the
way for so many artists. [See: 'Mary Cassatt:
A Life : A Life'... 'Mary Cassatt:
A Brush With Independence'] ... 'Berthe
Morisot' managed to have it all - home,
family and a career! Paul Gauguin became the mystic savage painter of
Tahitian visions... he was a colourist extraordinaire. ['Paul Gauguin:
A complete life'] ...and his wonderful diary remains
a testament to his motives - ['Noa Noa: The
Tahiti Journal of Paul Gauguin']. Vincent van Gogh,
supported by his devoted brother, Theo, was the mystic and visionary painter
of golden azure... ['Van Gogh: His
Life And His Art'] You'll thoroughly enjoy 'Lust for
Life' - one of the most wonderful films about van
Gogh... and 'Akira
Kurosawa's Dreams'. And the definitive biography 'Vincent and
Theo Van Gogh: A Dual Biography' by Jan
Hulsker is a true masterpiece in itself! The fascinating
story of the Impressionists and the Post Impressionists is a never-ending
journey, which never ceases to inspire new artists to reach for new heights.
And, to think... it all really began with Manet's "Olympia" - ['Edouard Manet:
Rebel in a Frock Coat']. One of the most amazing exhibits was in
2006 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC - Cezanne to
Picasso: Ambroise Vollard, Patron of the Avant-Garde - truly a great education about dealer extraordinaire,
Ambroise Vollard, and how he was always in the right place at the right
time. He was instrumental in the
careers of all the major players of Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, on
into the era of the Fauves and modern art... |
Modern Art
|
Modern Art brought
forth new, creative self-expression. The
Fauves (wild beasts) were named for their use of colour. The original Fauve was Henri Matisse. There is a marvelous biography called 'The Unknown
Matisse' by Hilary Spurling, a brilliant
scholar, which tells of the beginnings of Fauvism. Also, look for the second volume: 'Matisse the
Master : A Life of Henri Matisse: The Conquest of Colour: 1909-1954'. And here's an excellent site about Matisse/Picasso. 'The Mystery
of Picasso', a '50s documentary, is almost
literally a day in the life of Picasso - the camera watching him paint, draw
and create through a transparent screen that makes the viewer feel as if he
or she is participating in the actual creation of his works. Excellent DVDs
on Picasso: 'Life of
Picasso - Vol. I', 'Life of
Picasso - Vol. II', 'Magic, Sex,
Death.'
A wonderful feature film (though the Picasso estate refused to allow
any of Picasso's paintings to appear in the movie) is 'Surviving
Picasso' starring Anthony Hopkins, loosely
based on Francois Gilot's 'Life With
Picasso.'
You'll enjoy reading Gertrude Stein's writings about Picasso, and her enigmatic, 'Autobiography
of Alice B. Toklas,' which opens up
the world of art in early 20th century Paris. Frida Kahlo's life with Diego Rivera was depicted beautifully by Salma Hayek and
Alfred Molina in the film, 'Frida'. An excellent
documentary: 'Frida Kahlo'... and every artist should read The Diary of
Frida Kahlo. 'Jean-Michel
Basquiat', Sandy Frazier's contemporary, was a
graffiti artist, a/k/a SAMO, who died all
too young in the '80s.
The movie, 'Basquiat', by Julian
Schnabel, tells the story of the turbulent period from the late 1970s
to 1988, as his life was catapulted into fame and notoriety. ...And the infamous Andy Warhol
Diaries, which is a
real page-turner, even at over 800 pages...
You'll get to know Warhol personally and intimately in this document
of his life from 1977 to his death where every day he dictated his expenses
and activities from the day before to Pat Hackett. Warhol was the consummate artist - constantly observing life
around him, all the people, moods, movies, fashion, events... creating works
of art out of every minute of his life... and loving every minute of it... so
much more than 15 minutes. See Sandy's article on Bob
Colacello. And read Bob's definitive biography about
Andy Warhol, Holy Terror:
Andy Warhol Close Up. |
Excellent
Art Films
|
|
a
Mystic-Art Media production 
send e-mail to: sandy@mystic-art.com