Modern Art

by Evelyn Toynton

Belle Prokoff is the last of the famous generation of painters for whom art was a secular religion - worth any amount of struggle and sacrifice for its promise of redemption. She is also the widow of Clay Madden, who revolutionized American art, became a near-mythic figure, and died in a drunken car crash. Blunt, fierce, and scornful of the world's hypocrisy, Belle has passionately protected her husband's memory in the three decades since his death. She has also persevered with her painting while the denizens of the fashionable art scene fawn over her not for her own work but for the valuable Madden canvases she clings to as the last relic of her tormented marriage.
Now, facing the prospect of her impending death, Belle is confronted with another kind of an unscrupulous biographer is snooping around in her past, working on a sensational book about Madden's life. Before her battle to silence him spirals out of control, she is forced to make her peace with people and events that have haunted her for decades.

Genres: Art

180 pages, Hardcover

First published August 9, 2000

About the author

Evelyn Toynton's work has appeared in Harper's, The Atlantic, The Times Literary Supplement, The New York Times Book Review, and The American Scholar. Her novel Modern Art, loosely based on the story of Lee Krasner and Jackson Pollock, was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. Her most recent novel is The Oriental Wife, published in 2011. She lives in Norfolk, England.

Reviews

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mrs .Jack the Dripper

“Modern Art” is a lightly clothed portrayal of Lee Krasner (Belle Prokoff), better known as the painter Jackson Pollack’s (Clay Madden) wife, but she was also a respected painter. In this book Belle is an irascible character who knows her own mind. She’s in her seventies and suffering from arthritis. Her arthritis keeps her mostly housebound and dependent on the mercy of caregivers though she occasionally still goes out in public to attend galleries and fetes in her honor. The bane—and joy—of her existence are the Madden groupies who seek her out to wring one last remembrance of the great man, something to make their book or article stand out. The museums aren’t much better since they assume she’s sitting on many uncirculated cache of Madden paintings that they’d like to score for their museum(s) upon her death. Not much of a social life.

Madden and his painting and his alcoholic personality aren’t Toynton’s main theme however. She focuses on women’s relationships with one another, the loyalty inherent in these relationships, and their ability to help one another survive unhappy and/or abusive marriages. It’s about women emerging from the shadow of men and valuing their contributions in their fields and valuing themselves as people. They tell one another hard truths, sometimes with the result that friendships end though never quite completely because they replay continue to ponder their friend’s thoughts and how much their friendship meant to them even though they may not have spoken in years.

I love all the art insider information included in “Modern Art” but that isn’t its sole value. It’s set against the 1930’s art world that was facing economic depression like the rest of the country as well as the political influences of Socialism and Communism and later, the aftermath of the holocaust and how that influenced these artists in the year to come. Krasner was Jewish, Pollack was raised Presbyterian. Their approaches to religion, politics and art were at odds. Toynton excels at showing the angst and evolution of their relationship.

This review is based on an e-galley provided by the publisher.

[Patty V. Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is based on the lives of Jackson Pollack and Lee Krasner, but the story it tells is much bigger than theirs alone. Well worth reading to see how readily women will voluntarily subject their lives to the care of others. As well, the book points out how very subjective the world of art and what becomes successful is. Modern Art is worth reading if you choose to take a little extra time and think about what is being said. Otherwise, it's just a quick, entertaining read.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled to like, or care about, any of the characters in this book which made for a tough read. Nonetheless, it was an interesting read.

[Walter Victor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too long a sacrifice/Can make a stone of the heart

[Natalie E. Ramm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Modern Art molds the story of Lee Kasner’s life, Jackson Polluck’s wife, into a fictional tale. Belle Pokof is the widow of the late famous modern artist Clay Madden. Their marriage wasn’t a happy one. Madden was an alcoholic and killed himself in a drunken car crash (like Polluck). An artist herself, Belle’s work was always shadowed by the great Madden. Now, she can no longer paint because of crippling arthritis. However, art students still visit her to learn more about Clay Madden (not to learn about her or her work). Ah, the plight of the female artist in the 40s. I’m such a sucker for this sort of thing.

It’s during one of these student interviews where Belle meets Lizzie, who is pursuing a graduate degree in English. Lizzie’s boyfriend is Paul, an Australian artist and professor. Paul is obsessed with Clay Madden, but Lizzie finds Belle to be the more intriguing character. When Lizzie learns that Belle is looking for a nurse for the summer, Lizzie applies for the job. Working for Belle, Lizzie discovers a tightly guarded woman who is discontent with how her life has turned out. As their friendship blossoms, Lizzie finds out a few intimate details of Belle and Clay’s life together, which may affect her own relationship with Paul.

A lot of times books about art can be exclusive, but this book was not at all that way. The art history provided the concrete base of the story, but the characters—their relationships, their dreams—were the meat of the book. I loved reading Modern Art!! My only complaint is that it was too short. Also I read it via Netgalley on my Kindle and a lot of the spacing/formatting was messed up and sometimes made it difficult to read.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine being Lee Krasner, one of the most influential American painters of the 20th century -- but she's a woman at a time when being a female painter meant that the highest praise your work could receive was "it's so good, you wouldn't know it was painted by a woman." Now imagine that also being married to Jackson Pollack. What would it be like to be constantly undermined by your gender and continuously overshadowed by your husband? This is the fictionalized account of the last years of Lee Krasner's life -- thought-provoking, saddening, and a journey into the sacrifices made in the name of art.

[Anya · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a beautiful book, written in the author's usual subtle style, full of intelligent observations. It's based on the lives of Jackson Pollack and his wife, but feels nothing like a biography, just a wonderful story about an old, wise and very strong woman, who loved a man despite all his weakness, of which she was very aware, and tried to preserve his legacy after his death. Definitely a worthy read!

[Rhonda Lomazow · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a beautifully written book.You feel like you Know Belle and the other characters each is written to perfection.enjoyed so much reading about their art scene and how life had treated them.Read this book you will thank me,