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Approaching the Magic Hour: Memories of Walter Anderson
A widow's riveting yet poignant memoir of her marriage to a prolific creator, the extremely inspired Gulf Coast artist Walter Anderson, whose splendid art was heightened and enriched by his madness
178 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1989
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
March 26, 2019
The artist Walter Inglis Anderson has been dubbed the Van Gogh of the South. That’s likely not only for his use of color, form and light; but also due to his bouts of terrifying mental illness. Though Van Gogh never married, he had intense feelings toward several women. Walter, known as Bob, had intense feelings for only one, the woman he married, Agnes, known as Sissy.
This is Sissy's story of her relationship with her husband; and it’s a sad, illuminating and exhausting read. It’s also a generous and brave account of her exhilaration and (understandable) frustration during her life with Bob; her fear (many times she was in physical danger) and her enduring love; and her own 'realizations' (her husband’s term for the union of man and Nature).
The short chapters are headed and interspersed with sketches by Walter Anderson from the relevant time period. In the middle of the small, attractive book are family photos. Also of interest are Sissy's very few observations about being a woman: i.e., the doctors tending to believe her deluded, institutionalized husband over her; and a musing on the caretaker roles women shoulder while submerging other parts of themselves (out of necessity and exhaustion). The title, referring to the time before sunset, is taken from The Horn Island Logs of Walter Inglis Anderson.
This is Sissy's story of her relationship with her husband; and it’s a sad, illuminating and exhausting read. It’s also a generous and brave account of her exhilaration and (understandable) frustration during her life with Bob; her fear (many times she was in physical danger) and her enduring love; and her own 'realizations' (her husband’s term for the union of man and Nature).
I remember how annoyed I would be when no one could find him. “I went to sleep in the hay,” he would say.
So simple, so delightful. Why could I not remember from my childhood the delights of the loft? Was there any reason for alarm? For indignation? What horrible habits of anxiety we allow ourselves to develop. To what good? We never understand, at the time, what other people are seeking.
I know now that the alienated must seek forever the means of reentry into the world of man. Bob was seeking, for some reason, through the simpler world of animals. “Dogs, cats, birds are holes in heaven through which man may pass,” he said.
The short chapters are headed and interspersed with sketches by Walter Anderson from the relevant time period. In the middle of the small, attractive book are family photos. Also of interest are Sissy's very few observations about being a woman: i.e., the doctors tending to believe her deluded, institutionalized husband over her; and a musing on the caretaker roles women shoulder while submerging other parts of themselves (out of necessity and exhaustion). The title, referring to the time before sunset, is taken from The Horn Island Logs of Walter Inglis Anderson.
January 28, 2012
I could not put this book down and read it in two sittings. What a lovely woman and a beautiful writer! I cannot say enought about how much I respect her and appreciate her, her husband, and the Anderson family. Ocean Springs is a wonderful place to visit and I highly recommend everyone visit. Now I just need to get to Horn Island.
January 16, 2015
A fascinating memoir for fans of Walter Anderson's art from the perspective of his wife, this book tells the story of their marriage, his struggles with mental illness, and the times and places that inform his paintings, drawings, and pottery. Though clearly a loving and sympathetic portrayal, this account does not shy away from discussing the challenges they faced together.
September 19, 2019
https://rogueliterarysociety.com/f/ap...
...When I look at some of his paintings now, I think I begin to understand. There are two compulsions: a desire to know all there was to know about a creature and a desire to record the terrible beauty he observed so briefly—to be able, even after its death, to save it from dissolution and decay…
From the very beginning this book grabs you, their love story being one of the best ever written, and the great artist himself so unknown it is a crying shame. Brilliant vision and insane desire to feel his way through the world he inhabited. Agnes (or Sissy as she was called), remarkable in her service to his art, was also a brilliant intellect and talented artist who gave herself to this higher calling. Her own sacrifice is obvious and pronounced in every word on the pages of this book. But there is no resentment or regret in what she did.
There is an art museum in downtown Ocean Springs specifically centering on the art of Walter Anderson. I never heard of it until this past June of 2019. The one-speed bicycle he rode thousands of miles on hangs above on a bare wall, and opposite, at the other end of the hall, the boat he would row four miles overnight to get to Hog Island. Walter (Bob) would disappear sometimes for days and eventually return drenched, dirty, and shivering, but always happy. Anderson was tormented easily but his love for nature and the creative life kept him fiercely engaged. Never much of a husband or father, Walter was a true artist and Sissy made that possible by being everything he wasn’t.
...When I look at some of his paintings now, I think I begin to understand. There are two compulsions: a desire to know all there was to know about a creature and a desire to record the terrible beauty he observed so briefly—to be able, even after its death, to save it from dissolution and decay…
From the very beginning this book grabs you, their love story being one of the best ever written, and the great artist himself so unknown it is a crying shame. Brilliant vision and insane desire to feel his way through the world he inhabited. Agnes (or Sissy as she was called), remarkable in her service to his art, was also a brilliant intellect and talented artist who gave herself to this higher calling. Her own sacrifice is obvious and pronounced in every word on the pages of this book. But there is no resentment or regret in what she did.
There is an art museum in downtown Ocean Springs specifically centering on the art of Walter Anderson. I never heard of it until this past June of 2019. The one-speed bicycle he rode thousands of miles on hangs above on a bare wall, and opposite, at the other end of the hall, the boat he would row four miles overnight to get to Hog Island. Walter (Bob) would disappear sometimes for days and eventually return drenched, dirty, and shivering, but always happy. Anderson was tormented easily but his love for nature and the creative life kept him fiercely engaged. Never much of a husband or father, Walter was a true artist and Sissy made that possible by being everything he wasn’t.
March 27, 2009
If you appreciate walter Anderson's work, This enlightening book by his wife shows the depth of soul searching...of his neccesity of being one with his subjects, and what one one who loves an artist will put up with for the sake of the art.
March 4, 2018
This book reveals what it's like to be married to a mad genius. The author, "Sissy" Grinstead Anderson was Walter Anderson's long-suffering wife. The text is her own reconstruction of diaries she'd previously burned, a fact which may convey a bit of the ambivalence she must have felt about sharing the fraught experience of her marriage. Evidently, she decided in the end on complete candor, and the result is very powerful.
Anderson remains my favorite artist, despite what I learned from reading this book. I suppose my prior understanding of him was that of a tourist (I am a frequent visitor to his namesake art museum in his adopted hometown of Ocean Springs, Mississippi), and I would often describe him to friends as a little "touched." I learn from Sissy's account, however, that he was neglectful and violent, far beyond what one would expect from an amiable eccentric. Perhaps this book will lead some readers to obsess on whether it's permissible to enjoy his art, considering what a terrible husband (and father) he was; but I don't believe the human experience is so neat, and the paradox is fitting that a man whose art has made me feel euphoric was also the creator of great pain and trouble for his own family.
Accordingly, one of my favorite parts of the book was toward the end, after the death of Walter (known as Bob), when Sissy, on exploring the house where he lived alone, discovers the "little room" (preserved and on display at the Walter Anderson Museum of Art), which he'd consecrated as a temple to the sun, replete with murals showing all God's creation in its fluttering, creeping, and crawling sublimity. "The room is full of the presence of the Creator," Sissy writes, "not the artist, although he is surely there, but God."
Bob had kept the room padlocked. (p. 175)
Elsewhere: "I know now that the alienated must seek forever the means of reentry into the world of men. Bob was seeking, for some reason, through the simpler world of animals. 'Dogs, cats, birds are holes in heaven through which man may pass,' he said." (p. 84)
Anderson remains my favorite artist, despite what I learned from reading this book. I suppose my prior understanding of him was that of a tourist (I am a frequent visitor to his namesake art museum in his adopted hometown of Ocean Springs, Mississippi), and I would often describe him to friends as a little "touched." I learn from Sissy's account, however, that he was neglectful and violent, far beyond what one would expect from an amiable eccentric. Perhaps this book will lead some readers to obsess on whether it's permissible to enjoy his art, considering what a terrible husband (and father) he was; but I don't believe the human experience is so neat, and the paradox is fitting that a man whose art has made me feel euphoric was also the creator of great pain and trouble for his own family.
Accordingly, one of my favorite parts of the book was toward the end, after the death of Walter (known as Bob), when Sissy, on exploring the house where he lived alone, discovers the "little room" (preserved and on display at the Walter Anderson Museum of Art), which he'd consecrated as a temple to the sun, replete with murals showing all God's creation in its fluttering, creeping, and crawling sublimity. "The room is full of the presence of the Creator," Sissy writes, "not the artist, although he is surely there, but God."
Bob had kept the room padlocked. (p. 175)
Elsewhere: "I know now that the alienated must seek forever the means of reentry into the world of men. Bob was seeking, for some reason, through the simpler world of animals. 'Dogs, cats, birds are holes in heaven through which man may pass,' he said." (p. 84)
July 6, 2009
Agnes Grinstead Anderson writes so honestly about life with (and without) Walter Anderson. There were several points at which I closed the book and thought, "I'm not sure this is any of my business." But it's a compelling story, and I see his work with even more appreciation now, knowing it came at a high cost.
August 12, 2018
I cried at the end of the book. I have a few Walter Anderson works and have visited Ocean Springs and shearwater pottery many times. During the reading, I often wondered how she stayed with him. But thank goodness for art, she did.
October 26, 2017
From the Goodreads blurb: A widow's riveting yet poignant memoir of her marriage to a prolific creator, the extremely inspired Gulf Coast artist Walter Anderson, whose splendid art was heightened and enriched by his madness
I was introduced to Walter Anderson and his work in Jack E. Davis' book GULF, thought he sounded like an interesting character, and went looking to see if there were any books about him. I found an "official biography" and this one. The bio was hard slogging, the kind of biography that I call a "data dump"... all the facts and no story. (A curious aside regarding that biography: the first section is a statement written by Anderson's youngest son — included as condition of his giving the author access to his father's papers — stating that his father didn't suffer from mental illness; just depression. Sorry, John, I not buying it.) This book written by his widow was more interesting.
This was a Read-aloud book, and Maggee liked it more than I did. She wanted to give it four stars; I was thinking 2. She thought it said something interesting about genius (often linked with madness) and love (often a condition that will blind a person to the harm the loved one is visiting on those around him/her), but I came away with less of a feeling of admiration for Anderson's genius and more feeling of pity for his wife and children and others in his family.
This book was #55 on our 2017 Read-alouds List.
I was introduced to Walter Anderson and his work in Jack E. Davis' book GULF, thought he sounded like an interesting character, and went looking to see if there were any books about him. I found an "official biography" and this one. The bio was hard slogging, the kind of biography that I call a "data dump"... all the facts and no story. (A curious aside regarding that biography: the first section is a statement written by Anderson's youngest son — included as condition of his giving the author access to his father's papers — stating that his father didn't suffer from mental illness; just depression. Sorry, John, I not buying it.) This book written by his widow was more interesting.
This was a Read-aloud book, and Maggee liked it more than I did. She wanted to give it four stars; I was thinking 2. She thought it said something interesting about genius (often linked with madness) and love (often a condition that will blind a person to the harm the loved one is visiting on those around him/her), but I came away with less of a feeling of admiration for Anderson's genius and more feeling of pity for his wife and children and others in his family.
This book was #55 on our 2017 Read-alouds List.
May 22, 2023
I've been to Ocean Springs and have a biography of Walter Anderson yet-to-be-read on my shelf, but I was surprised at how moved and inspired I was by this book. "Sissy" Grinstead Anderson was a talent in her own right, a dedicated partner and mother, and a wonderful writer. I loved the way she described her husband's work habits and the time he spent alone on Horn Island. "Compared to the heights of creative experience, ordinary happiness can have little appeal," she writes without a shred of self-pity, and "He was a painter always, a lover at times, a husband and father never." I understand this memoir is culled from an 1800-page manuscript that was Sissy's life story, now focused on her famous husband. She tells the story with grace. This memoir would be a wonderful movie with its rich setting on the Mississippi Gulf Coast in the 1930s and 40s.
June 24, 2024
A friend recommended that I read this book before visiting the Walter Anderson Museum in Ocean Springs, MS. I’m so thankful for that advice, because it really added to my appreciation of the artist’s life and work. I’m in absolute awe of Mrs. Anderson’s steadfast devotion to her husband. She doesn’t sugarcoat anything in this memoir of her life with Walter, yet her love for him and appreciation of his artistic gifts shine through her stories of his bewildering behavior, including occasional acts of violence and ongoing neglect of his family. It’s a gripping tale, but one full of grace.
September 6, 2023
Absolutely captivating — and by the end, her writing is as stunning as his art. I don’t think we could ever have a better insight into the life and heart and mind of an artist — and all those around him.
January 4, 2021
I could not put this book down, and never wanted it to end!
February 11, 2023
It may not be the most well-written narrative of all-time, but my love for Walter Anderson makes this book a joy for me to read over and over again.
August 11, 2025
Once you start reading this book, you will find it hard to stop.
October 13, 2025
intense personal memoir of living and supporting a talented artist on the edge of reality
August 10, 2016
Sometime 20 years ago or more, my grandmother saw an article on Walter Anderson in a Smithsonian magazine. It was an image of the bear from the community center mural that inspired her to be a lifelong admirer of Anderson's work. She has been trying to convince someone to go with her to Ocean Springs, Mississippi ever since. While we were not willing to sacrifice a tropical beach vacation for a road trip to Mississippi (why would anyone want to go to Mississippi of all places??), when I accepted a graduate position at MSU, there was no reason to keep saying no. So off we went on our Grandmother-Granddaughter Gulf Coast Adventure!
I was surprised how much I liked the museum and the town of Ocean Springs in general. His artwork is so colorful and unique, I don't know why I didn't appreciate it before. Inspired by our visit to the museum, my grandmother re-read this book during the remainder of our trip, and was finding it so funny that I felt I had to read it as well.
Walter.. Or "Bob" Anderson was quite the character. Agnes must have really loved him to stick with and love him as much as she did during all of that. After he turned violent, I feel as if many people, including myself, would have abandoned him to the state. My grandmother has a theory that he was not 100% mentally even before his initial psychotic break. I have to agree. The fact that he doesn't react to pain makes me think it was more than just a unique personality.
Overall, Agnes' marriage to Bob was certainly not a boring one to read about. I'm sure there are so many more interesting stories that did not make the cut for this book. I'm surprised how much I enjoyed this book, as is often the case when Grandma Lee suggests something :) I should stop being surprised.
I was surprised how much I liked the museum and the town of Ocean Springs in general. His artwork is so colorful and unique, I don't know why I didn't appreciate it before. Inspired by our visit to the museum, my grandmother re-read this book during the remainder of our trip, and was finding it so funny that I felt I had to read it as well.
Walter.. Or "Bob" Anderson was quite the character. Agnes must have really loved him to stick with and love him as much as she did during all of that. After he turned violent, I feel as if many people, including myself, would have abandoned him to the state. My grandmother has a theory that he was not 100% mentally even before his initial psychotic break. I have to agree. The fact that he doesn't react to pain makes me think it was more than just a unique personality.
Overall, Agnes' marriage to Bob was certainly not a boring one to read about. I'm sure there are so many more interesting stories that did not make the cut for this book. I'm surprised how much I enjoyed this book, as is often the case when Grandma Lee suggests something :) I should stop being surprised.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 14, 2008
I adore Walter Anderson, and though I think his history is fascinating, I am not taken with his wife's writing style. It's very simple, which is nice, but sometimes stilted and over-done. Oh well, it is still terribly worth the read. All those pelicans! And the snake bite...Oh my!
February 10, 2016
This is an extraordinary account of a woman's love for her mentally ill husband who produced beautiful art. Rich in detail of life on the Mississippi coast in the first half of the twentieth century. I look forward to visiting the Walter Anderson museum in Ocean Springs next time I pass through!”
April 13, 2008
Intriguing story - love beyond the ordinary, creativity into the insane.
July 7, 2008
this tells about the mississippi artist who had a mental illness but painted and created inspite of his problem. His family endured a lot so he could be an artist.
July 16, 2008
beautiful...
August 26, 2008
this book too is an excellent read. it is about walter anderson, one of the most amazing artist of our times, written by his wife. fascinating story.
August 25, 2009
After a visit to Shearwater Pottery in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, I'm inspired to pull out this fascinating memoir by artist Walter Anderson's wife of their unconventional life.
September 23, 2010
Brilliant, tumultuous,tragic. She really captures the artist's way of looking and feeling.
July 16, 2011
A wonderful look into the life of Walter "Bob" Anderson as written from his wife's point of view. Agnes deserves a medal for putting up with him.
July 9, 2015
Honest, visual, personal, heartbreaking, lovely, beautiful! A time piece.
May 19, 2017
Unusual man, unusual love affair, unusual life. Brilliant artist.
April 3, 2017
One of my favorite memoirs
Want to read
March 27, 2018Stopped on page 33 @ Chapter 5
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews