Conversations With Artists

by Selden Rodman

Making no prejudgments, taking no position, but faithfully reporting what he was told, [Selden Rodman] has written a book about an American art "colony" that is all things to all vigorous, dedicated, and intelligent; chatty and at times catty, but always loaded with ideas; generous, ungenerous, and seeking always an aspect of the truth.Includes interviews with Frank Lloyd Wright, Philip Johnson, Morris Graves, Alexander Calder, Franz Kline, Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, Ad Reinhardt, Mark Rothko, Saul Steinberg, and many others.[Taken from the back of the book.]

Genres: Art

232 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1957

About the author

Cary Selden Rodman (February 19, 1909 – November 2, 2002) was a prolific American writer of poetry, plays and prose, political commentary, art criticism, Latin American and Caribbean history, biography and travel writing—publishing a book almost every year of his adult life, he also co-edited Common Sense magazine.

Reviews

[Troy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never heard of Selden Rodman, but he knew everyone in the 1950s art world, and he interviewed everyone in the 1950s art world. Even better, he's smart, perceptive, well-read, and deviously gossipy. This is the art world version of US magazine, but with the intellectual rigor of October magazine . The artists are all perceptive and insightful, but what is surprising is that the more well-known artists also tend to be the most interesting.

This book was written in 1957, right in the middle of the rise and dominance of abstract expressionism, which, at the time, was still loathed by the dominant culture. Endlessly, the ab-exers talk about their disdain and disgust with the larger culture. On the flip side, Rodman talks with several realists, most of whom are now forgotten, and their concerns seem quaint and ancient (except for Ben Shahn, Saul Steinberg, and Jacob Lawrence, who aren't beholden to realism, but use it for their own purposes).

The best interview is easily with Jackson Pollock. He is impulsive, brilliant, wild, and drunk. The first interview ends with him drunkenly hugging a tree and exclaiming its beauty. The second interview starts with Pollock locked out of his studio - so Pollock knocks out the window panes in order to get inside.

The second best interviews are a months-long exchange between Frank Lloyd Wright and Philip Johnson, who are both cutting, bitchy, pompous, and whip-smart. At one point, for example, Wright says Johnson, "is a highbrow. A highbrow is a man educated beyond his capacity. His house is a box of glass - not shelter. The meaning of the word shelter includes privacy." And there's much more. Their exchange is hilarious.

[Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant insight into the minds of some great midcentury artists...a must-read for anyone interested in American art

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I released this one back into the wild. It reminded me of being at a party talking to a drunk famous person—you really want to excuse yourself, but at the same time you don't want to miss anything good. Rodman has a bit in his introduction where he talks about how writers have gotten forums to talk about their work since the Second World War, but artists as yet haven't... well, I came of age at a time when artists had plenty of opportunity to discuss their craft and motivations, so maybe I'm not the intended audience here.

But most of them came off as slightly self-involved, heavy on the theory and not enough (let's be honest) on the gossip. I did like the snark between Philip Johnson and Frank Lloyd Wright (Johnson said that his main reaction to Fallingwater was having to pee). And I loved learning about Sister Mary Corita Kent, the Op Art nun. If this hadn't been a library book I'd probably have kept it around and dipped in now and again. Perhaps the book and I will cross paths again someday.

[Reese Forbes · Rating 4 out of 5]

"you paint not what you see, but what you are" says Joseph Glasco.
Many good tidbits on why they do art as they do from 35 well know names in the art world prior to 1961 when this was published - A. Wyeth, F.L. Wright. Pollock, deKooning, Calder, Hopper et al.