Fairfield Porter

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: An excellent, well-researched book on painter and critic Fairfield Porter.

I bought this from Amazon.com in late February, 1999 and it arrived very quickly, sealed, and in perfect condition. If you have any interest at all in Fairfield Porter's life and painting, then you must buy it. I waited over 6 years to purchase it and was glad I did.

If there are any other artists who enjoy his work, feel free to contact me for correspondence. I work in a similar vein.

Rating:
Summary: A dazzling book for art lovers and plein air painters
Review: An intimate gem of a book with Porter's biography threaded through luminous paintings of portraits and landscapes. A book I treasure and recommend to any painter, especially plein air painters, for both inspiration and to add to the shelf of resource books. When I purchased Wolf Kahn's book, Porter was listed on Amazon's "customers who bought this book also bought:" I'm glad I went for it. A great recommend! [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: A Solid Journey Through the Life and Work of F. Porter
Review: It is no secret that Mr. Porter was a rogue of twentieth-century art. Where abstraction and "modern" themes ruled the endeavours of most contemporary artists, Mr. Porter returned to classical figuration. He did, however, have something new to say. Spike sifts through the strata of Mr. Porter's life and connects them well with development of his work. He helps the reader understand Porter's unique vision amidst his tumultuous and, at times, bizarre activities. To an untrained eye, Mr. Porter's paintings may appear to be the work of a mere amateur. However, careful analysis of both this text and the color plates, not to mention actual museum visits, yield a wonderful fruit: a more lucid appreciation of one America's greatest painters to date. That is reward enough in itself. If the work of Mr. Porter captures you, investigate Morandi, Diebenkorn and the Bay Area Figurative Painters, and the contemporary landscape painter, Neil Welliver. Enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: A Solid Journey Through the Life and Work of F. Porter
Review: It is no secret that Mr. Porter was a rogue of twentieth-century art. Where abstraction and "modern" themes ruled the endeavours of most contemporary artists, Mr. Porter returned to classical figuration. He did, however, have something new to say. Spike sifts through the strata of Mr. Porter's life and connects them well with development of his work. He helps the reader understand Porter's unique vision amidst his tumultuous and, at times, bizarre activities. To an untrained eye, Mr. Porter's paintings may appear to be the work of a mere amateur. However, careful analysis of both this text and the color plates, not to mention actual museum visits, yield a wonderful fruit: a more lucid appreciation of one America's greatest painters to date. That is reward enough in itself. If the work of Mr. Porter captures you, investigate Morandi, Diebenkorn and the Bay Area Figurative Painters, and the contemporary landscape painter, Neil Welliver. Enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: Fairfield Porter is over-rated
Review: The format, color plates and essay about Porter's life are all well done. However, it seems to me that despite his excellent reputation, Porter at best is a mediocre painter who draws awkardly. If you already like him, buy the book. But if you are looking for good representational art, look elsewhere.