A model of art-historical writing, Franz Kline is, remarkably, still the
only available monograph on its subject. With its detailed yet
thoroughly readable text and 170 illustrations (many published here for
the first time), this book brings to light much new information about
Kline, a leading figure among the Abstract Expressionists, and enriches
our appreciation and understanding of his art. This book belongs on the
book shelf of everyone with an interest in American painting.
Franz Kline's energetic black strokes on a white field are as
recognizable as Jackson Pollock's drips or Mark Rothko's rectangles of
glowing color. He spent years struggling to find a style for himself and
then achieved overnight success with his dramatic black-and-white
abstractions. They were, in fact, so successful that they overwhelmed
every other aspect of Kline's art, and as a result he has been
oversimplified and underestimated. Based on nearly 20 years of research,
this seminal monograph provides a comprehensive view of Kline's life and
work and reveals how unexpectedly complex they both were.
Using interviews with the artist's friends and critics, and quoting from
his letters, the author, Harry F. Gaugh, has created an evocative
portrait of Kline's evolution from ambitious art student, to penniless
Greenwich Village artist painting murals in bars, to, finally, a mature
artist in command of his own unique and hard-won style.
