An Artist of the American Renaissance

Description

History in the first person — from an artist who lived it. Before Kenyon Cox became one of America’s most celebrated classical painters, he was a young artist finding his way — and he wrote it all down. An Artist of the American Renaissance collects his private correspondence from 1883 to 1919, letters that trace his formative years in New York City with remarkable candor.

These are frank, engaging, sometimes naïve and whimsical letters: Cox on his daily routines, his ambitions, his friendships, and his unvarnished opinions of the art world around him. Edited by H. Wayne Morgan as a companion to Cox’s earlier Paris letters, the collection offers an intimate portrait of the American Renaissance from the inside — through the eyes of a gifted young artist living it.

For lovers of art history, American culture, and the letter as an art form, this is a rare delight: wit, candor, and the making of a master, in his own words.

Before he became one of America’s most celebrated classical painters, Kenyon Cox was a young artist finding his way — and he wrote it all down. An Artist of the American Renaissance: The Letters of Kenyon Cox, 1883–1919 (Kent State University Press) collects the private correspondence of the great American painter from his formative years in New York City.

These frank, engaging, and sometimes naïve and whimsical letters show Cox’s personal development as an artist and a man: his daily routines, his ambitions, his friendships, and his unvarnished opinions of the art world around him. Edited by H. Wayne Morgan as a companion to Cox’s earlier Paris letters, the collection offers an intimate portrait of the American Renaissance from the inside — through the eyes of a gifted young artist living it.

For lovers of art history, American culture, and the letter as an art form, this is a rare delight: history in the first person, full of wit, candor, and the making of a master.

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