by Jon Lackman | 17 December 2009 | Books, Modern
From The Economist
For all the books written about artists’ muses and patrons, relatively few explore the role of mentors, perhaps because the presence of a teacher threatens to deprive the artist of his or her status as a self-made genius. In “Tom and Jack”, Henry Adams, a professor of American art at Case Western Reserve University, looks resolutely at the art of Jackson Pollock through the work and life of his mentor, Thomas Hart Benton. In so doing, he casts new light on the legendary abstract expressionist.
Benton’s influence on Pollock has been treated by other scholars, Mr Adams writes, like the “art historical equivalent of a youthful sexual indiscretion–as something that happened but is best forgotten.” Mr Adams takes a different view. Although the surface traits of Pollock’s abstract art diverged greatly from Benton’s representational work, he explores the similarities of their underlying principles.
“relatively few explore the role of mentors”
Indeed, and I also can’t wait to establish my lucrative hydrocarbon importation business in Newcastle.