Oskar Kokoschka: the artist and his time, a biographical study

312 Pages·1966·39.689 MB·English

by  Kokoschka, Oskar, Kokoschka, Oskar, Kokoschka, Oskar, Kokoschka, Oskar <1886->, Hodin, Josef Paul

nflRIN COUNTY FREE LIBRfiRY
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HODIN
J. P.
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—
OKOSCHKA:
The Artist ami his Time
A biography by P. Hodin
J.
2 color pldtfs, ^8pages of tnonot n,•'/,;.:
illustrations
]. P. Hodin has been working on this dtlinihvi.
biography since 1044, when he was in almost
daily conversation with Kokoschka. Through-
out the following twenty years author and artist
have been in close touch: Kokoschka read the
entire manuscript in draft, made many sugges-
tions and answered countless questions; subse-
quently he wrote, 'Your large book is naturally
an enormous task ... it will remain as the
most important and best publication on me.'
The author is a distinguished art historian
and critic who was awarded the First Inter-
national Prize for art criticism at the 1954
\enice Bicnnale. Cxj-cditor of the art journal
QuaJrum, he has published books on Henry
.\loore, Ben Nichol.sonand BarbaraHcpworth,as
well as the biography of .Munch Genius ofthe
\orth. But although Paul Hodin is, perhaps,
better qualified than anyone to assess the
development of Kokoschka's great work and to
place it in the context of history, he has also
been concerned in this book to present the
whole man. Thus, his text surveys the full sweep
of Kokoschka's long life from his birth in
—
Austria his student days and first exhibitions,
first literary works and early travels, his time as
Professor at the .Art Academy of Dresden, his
private life and philosophical views; and he has
drawn '^'^ knowledge of depth psy-
chology to t. • an understanding and subtle
portrait. The final cnjptcr examines the artist's
life in retrospect on the evidence of his Self
Portraits, while Chapter I-'our contains an
important autobiographical text by Koko.schka
himself on his childhood and first experience of
love and death.
Dr Hodin writes of the artist: 'His life has
indeed been wholly on the side ofhuman worth,
in the greatness of his work and the fullness of
his existence: a rare unity, an example and a
guide for the future.' His book is a fascinating
study of Kokoschka the mar .and :i worthy
tribute to his stature as an arti.st '1 i- illustrated
with 48 pages of monochrom; ii/firodactions
and two plates in color.
CIVIC CENTER 3/^f
11 01082 179
DATE DUE
MAY 1 1990
SEP 9 1992 9
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AUG
3 1 1992
APR 6 ?D!1?'
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THE ARTIST AND HIS TIME
a Biographical Study by P. Hodin
J.
NEW YORK GRAPHIC SOCIETY
©
1966J: p. Hodin
Firstpublishedin London ig66 by Cory, Adams C Mackay Ltd, j/ Museum Street, WCi
andin the U.S.A. by NetP York Graphic Society, Greenwich, Connecticut.
Library ofCongress Catalogue No. 66-1^jgj. Allrightsreserved.
The text is set in ''Monotype' Ehrhardt; printedandboundin England
by W. £5*y. Mackay andCo. Ltd, Chatham, Kent.
CONTENTS
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS page vu
PREFACE xi
THE THREE FACES OF KOKOSCHKA
I I
II THE MELANCHOLY OF THE WORLD II
MIR
III 29
IV MARIA AND THE BULL 36
V PARENTS 50
VI THE FOOTHILLS OF ART 60
VII NATURE MORTE 81
VIII NEW HORIZONS 93
IX THE INNER IMAGE 107
X THE TORMENT OF THE HEART 124
XI KNIGHT, DEATH AND THE ANGEL 145
XII ORBIS PICTUS 171
XIII THE LABYRINTH OF THE WORLD 194
XIV SELF-PORTRAIT 207
NOTES 216
LITERARY SOURCES
235
INDEX
247