The New York School

by Dore Ashton

Examines the development of the New York School and its influential role in the development of abstract expressionism

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Dore Ashton (1928, – January 30, 2017) was a writer, professor and critic of modern and contemporary art. She was the author or editor of more than thirty books on art.

Reviews

[Anastasiia Mozghova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Эштон удалось не только увлекательно рассказать об отдельных деятелях искусства, которые жили и работали в Нью-Йорке в первой половине 20 века, но и сконструировать комплексный и при этом понятный контекст, который скорее всего неизвестен обычному читателю.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can’t really fault a book for not being what I wanted it to be, so I’ll still give this book four stars because it’s well-written and well-argued. But I wanted this to be much more about the New York milieu of the midcentury Abstract Expressionists—how they lived, what inspired them, how they created their art, how they got along and/or didn’t get along with each other. There’s a lot of that here, but also a lot of abstract theory—artistic, yes, but also political and sociological theory that detracts from what is otherwise an interesting narrative.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

The essays in this book capture the thinking involved in the Abstract Expressionist School of New York.

[JabJo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting this book to deal with the art itself and the development of styles from a critical point of view, as Dore Ashton is a well-known art critic. Instead, it is more a social-cultural history of why art in New York developed as it did. Very well written. Ashton takes us from early beginnings, when aspiring artists hightailed it out of rural America and headed for New York--the only place that might offer anything like an art school; describes the isolation of painters in America who had virtually no contact with developments in Europe, nor much interest from the American public; then the terrible poverty of the depression and the growing fear of war; finally the war itself, which drove a wave of European artists to American shores, enriching and validating the growth of the New York school.

Ashton describes the formation of a community of artists who had little in common esthetically, simply due to proximity and shared destitution. But finally came the unexpected shock of material success, something that had never occurred to them as a realistic possibility. Once the money came, the community became confused (Mark Rothko being a case in point) and disunited. Ashton quotes Auden: "The fellowship of suffering lasts only so long as none of the sufferers can escape. Open a door through which many but probably not all can escape, and the fellowship disintegrates."

The heyday of New York abstract expressionism probably really lasted only about ten years, but the reader experiences its gradual evolution over a much longer period: it wasn't born overnight. Some may find this to be a bit of a 'textbook,' but anyone interested in the subject, as I am, will enjoy the read and the information.

[Probibliophile · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of information about the Abstract Expressionists and also a fun read. It covers the art market and cultural history. Ashton has a graceful writing style. I first read this book in 1979 as a college freshman and have read it many times since.

[Lad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dore is the best. Period.

[Mills College Library]

700.97471 A828 1992

[Carl · Rating 5 out of 5]

An invaluable context