In the American Grain: Arthur Dove, Marsden Hartley, John Marin, Georgia O'Keeffe, and Alfred Stieglitz: The Stieglitz Circle at the Phillips Collection

Washington, DC: Counterpoint, 1995. Softcover. VG. Cream and illustrated wraps. 192 pp. 30 bw and 60 color plates. Alfred Stieglitz exhibited, defended, and promoted the most revolutionary artists he could find, especially the four painters showcased in this volume: Arthur Dove, John Marin, Marsden Hartley, and Georgia O'Keeffe. Their work, along with Stieglitz's own stunning cloud photographs, is at the core of the famous Phillips Collection housed in Washington, D.C. Duncan Phillips, an intrepid collector, forged a complicated alliance with Stieglitz, one that survived serious conflicts and led to the creation of the first modern art museum in the country. Both Stieglitz and Phillips were avid about art that was genuinely American in its spirit, innovation, and connection to the land. All five artists meet and exceed these criteria as they merge mindscape and landscape. Dove tops the list both in number of works and in the daring of his organic yet mystical compositions. Marin's translucent yet energetic watercolors stand in strong contrast to Hartley's saturated, heavily worked oils; O'Keeffe contributes a distilled sensuality; and Stieglitz captures the abstract beauty of sky and cloud. Curator Turner has chosen well both in terms of colorplates and text, which contains a lively history of Phillips' collecting venture. (written by Donna Seaman).