Black Angel: The Life of Arshile Gorky
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In this first full-scale biography of the artist Robert Hughes called "a kind of Bridge of Sighs between Surrealism and America," Nouritza Matossian charts the life of Arshile Gorky, one of the most mysterious of major twentieth-century artists. Born in Armenia, he survived the Turkish genocide begun in 1915 and arrived in America in 1920. One of the first abstract expressionists, he was a major influence on the New York art scene, which included de Kooning, Rothko, Pollock, and others. After a devastating series of illnesses, injuries, and personal setbacks, he committed suicide at the age of 46. In Black Angel, Nouritza Matossian uses for the first time Gorky's original letters in Armenian and other new source material, writing with authority and insight about the powerful influence Gorky's Armenian heritage had upon his painting. She also provides an informed and important critique of the entire body of Gorky's major work.New York Review of BooksBrings us closer to to Gorky's origins and the sources of his art.
Illustrationsx A Writer's Journey: Introductionxi Part I Armenian Childhood 1902-20 Prologue3 1 The Angel of Birth5 2 Hayrig, Father17 3 The Village School25 4 Pilgrim31 5 Van41 6 Rainbow Line54 7 The Heroic Defence of Van63 8 Beat the Drum77 9 City of Death85 10 The Face of Famine93 11 Second Flight100 Part II Rehearsing for Genius 1920-34 12 Ellis Island113 13 The Watertown Years127 14 The Big Apple140 15 Grand Central School150 16 Papa Cézanne157 17 Beautiful Sirun167 18 A Dangerous Muse183 19 TheTroubadour192 20 Nighttime, Enigma and Nostalgia199 21 Mayrig, Mother213 22 Poor Art for Poor People219 Part III Flying 1934-40 23 Happy Tappy Girl231 24 A Driving Force238 25 Dance of Knives247 26 Child of Eden255 27 Elevation of the Object260 28 Argula270 29 The World's Fair277 30 Blitzkrieg284 31 Fantastic Fancies291 Part IV The Red and Gold World 1940-47 32 Seventh Love299 33 Out West307 34 Blithe Spirit317 35 The Waterfall324 36 White Angels, Black Angels331 37 Skybaby340 38 Papa Breton351 39 The Glorious Summer358 40 In a Biddy Whirlpool369 41 Good Hope Road376 42 Rollercoaster Living385 43 My Little Pine Tree392 44 Burning Easel399 45 Rearranged Body407 46 Life on a Leash413 47 Catastrophe Style421 48 City Pastoral429 Part V The Song of a Single Person 1947-48 49 Full-Blooded439 50 The Crumbling Earth447 51 Darling Gorky455 52 Agony464 53 Goodbye My Loveds471 Part VI The Gift 54 Summer Funeral479 55 Life after Death490 Appendix496 Notes499 Chronology543 Select Bibliography553 Acknowledgements559 Index561
