Overview
When Irving Sandler published The Triumph of American Painting in 1970, this groundbreaking study quickly became the canonical account of Abstract Expressionism. Now, nearly 40 years later, Sandler, the preeminent chronicler of postwar American art, returns to the subject with this new study. Sandler focuses on two new aims: first, to present the fresh conclusions about Abstract Expressionism that he has arrived at since 1970, and, second, to counter what he sees at the distorted interpretations of the movement offered by some younger art historians. This new study focuses on the decade (1942-1952) when the Abstract Expressionists matured as artists and created their most important works, and also identifies the distinctly American character of Abstract Expressionism, in particular the painters Sandler sees as the movement's most important figures: Jackson Pollock and Clyfford Still.
Synopsis
Irving Sandler, the preeminent chronicler of postwar American art, returns to the subject with this new study drawing fresh conclusions about Abstract Expressionism that he has arrived at since his first publication of the movement 1970.
Library Journal
Written as a new interpretation of his The Triumph of American Painting (1970), this work revisits the early years of abstract expressionism, providing in-depth analysis of the inception of the movement in the 1930s and its development in the 1940s. Sandler places abstract expressionism in its historical and art historical context while focusing on the social, spiritual, cultural, political, and geographical influences on the artists. Counting Pollock, Rothko, de Kooning, Newman, and others as personal friends, Sandler is not unbiased and is firm in the conviction that abstract expressionists were the "most original, vital and masterly painters" in the world. While neither an index nor a bibliography is offered, each chapter includes extensive endnotes for the more scholarly reader. VERDICT Sandler's clear writing style and unique perspective, coupled with the numerous high-quality images, make this book appropriate for undergraduate students, professional art historians, and general readers.—Nancy J. Mactague, Aurora Univ., IL