Susie Hodge - Artistic Circles: The Inspiring Connections Between the Worlds Greatest Artists

The inspiring connections between the worlds greatest artists

Susie Hodge
Illustrated by Sarah Papworth

18401926

douard Manet

John Singer Sargent

Mary Cassatt

Auguste Rodin

1963

Tracey Emin

18561925

Edgar Degas

183283

Mary Cassatt

18341917

Paul Czanne

18441926

Georgia OKeeffe

18571932

Camille Claudel

18761907

Paul Gauguin

Henri Matisse

18671945

Vincent van Gogh

18981980

Georgia OKeeffe

Fernand Lger

Pablo Picasso

18941958

Aleksandra Ekster

190992

Vincent van Gogh

18931959

Lucy Bacon

18891978

Marcel Duchamp

18721944

Kazimir Malevich

1931

Jackson Pollock

Alexander Calder

Paul Czanne

Henri Matisse

18941982

Constantin Brncui

190375

Sophie Taeuber-Arp

18811973

Amrita Sher-Gil

18841920

Maurice Utrillo

18861957

Jackson Pollock

Amedeo Modigliani

Paul Czanne

190754

Joan Mir

18871986

Judy Chicago

1962

Max Ernst

1929

Georgia OKeeffe

Eva Hesse

Andy Warhol

1946

Jackson Pollock

1956

Marcel Duchamp

18401917

Constantin Brncui

18641943

Henri Matisse

18761957

Georgia OKeeffe

18811955

Alexander Calder

18851979

Vincent van Gogh

18791940

Wassily Kandinsky

18991994

Los Mailou Jones

1970

Jackson Pollock

18661944

Claude Monet

Vincent van Gogh

18621944

Henri Matisse

19122004

Georgia OKeeffe

18641933

Gustav Klimt

18891943

Max Ernst

Joan Mir

18871968

Constantin Brncui

18981976

Piet Mondrian

18931983

Max Ernst

19112010

Marcel Duchamp

1963

Edvard Munch

18911976

Paul Klee

190166

Francis Bacon

18391906

Pablo Picasso

190598

Henri Matisse

191341

Suzanne Valadon

18481903

Amedeo Modigliani

185390

Sonia Delaunay-Terk

18641901

Andy Warhol

18651938

Edgar Degas

18831955

Amedeo Modigliani

18691954

Paul Gauguin

Vincent van Gogh

18671947

Louise Bourgeois

18621918

Henri Matisse

18901918

Vincent van Gogh

18631944

Paul Klee

Wassily Kandinsky

1930

Pablo Picasso

192887

Marcel Duchamp

Jackson Pollock

Jasper Johns

196088

Paula Rego

1950

Julie Mehretu

190084

Pierre Bonnard

190884

Hans Hofmann

191256

Max Ernst

Diego Rivera

Wassily Kandinsky

18801966

Paula Modersohn-Becker

19282011

Lee Krasner

191591

Max Ernst

Marcel Duchamp

190055

Joan Mir

19172011

Frida Kahlo

Diego Rivera

18801916

Wassily Kandinsky

18821949

Sonia Delaunay-Terk

18791935

Wassily Kandinsky

18811964

Henri Matisse

18811962

Franz Marc

1939

Georgia OKeeffe

Eva Hesse

Jenny Holzer

191385

Alexander Calder

Amrita Sher-Gil

1953

Alberto Giacometti

1969

Andy Warhol

1935

Ben Nicholson

1952

Vincent van Gogh

19361970

Yayoi Kusama

ARTISTS HAVE never worked in a vacuum. Every work of art is the culmination of many events, incidents and situations, and in one way or another, most of these are caused by associations or links with other people. These might be complete strangers or they could be known to the artists. Whatever their connection, all the artists in this book are linked by at least one other artist.

In all of our lives, we have countless links and connections with others that alter how we think or act, what we do, why we do it and where. Sometimes, these connections may seem irrelevant but end up being quite significant; at other times, they can seem important in the moment, but their effect is almost imperceptible. Many connections affect us in ways we could never anticipate, and nowhere are these things more apparent than in the lives of artists, for whom events so often manifest themselves visually through their work. One of the most fascinating aspects of art and art history is learning about these links and connections, and seeing how, why and where they occur, how they emerge and evolve into works of art or even entire art movements. For example, a chance meeting may change the way an artist views the world, uses a certain material or incorporates particular motifs into his or her work. A certain teacher may affect how a pupil works or who they admire. Then there are other types of connection: a critical review or a letter of encouragement; winning the same award, perhaps even decades apart; membership of a particular society; exhibiting together; being commissioned by the same patron; or having an affair with the same person. The possibilities are vast.

While this book is all about the connections, it is not a chronological story of those who influenced and those who were influenced. In fact, it is not chronological at all and it is not only about influences. Instead, within these pages, time flows forwards, backwards and sideways, and the artists explored are connected to each other in a whole host of ways. Here you will discover fascinating stories about famous artists and those less familiar. You will gain insights into the human side of many works of art and the personalities of those who made them, and you will see how great works ended up being made, either through a vague or a close link with another person or people. For example, you can read about the artist who inspired Rodins The Kiss and another who wrapped it in string; the artists who struggled in Montmartre, and the probable originator of abstract painting. (Hint: it wasnt Kandinsky.) The book is filled with stories about the artists support networks, influences and inspirations. There are those who are household names, such as Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and Frida Kahlo, and those who are less well-known. Many of the artists included reflect their own cultures and societies, but they also reflect other things beyond that, such as the times in which they lived or the art styles and methods they influenced, even decades later. Overall, there are eighty-four artists considered, who all worked from the end of the nineteenth century to the present day. Their connections are as varied as the art they produced.

Sarah Papworths vibrant and original illustrations bring all the artists and their stories alive, linking them together and creating their own unique world. These links are just a few of the thousands that have occurred and are still occurring in the art world, and that have helped to challenge and change the face of art over the past couple of centuries. I hope that the stories inspire you to go and see some of the artworks and to look at them with a fresh understanding and pleasure. Art is one of those things that rewards you: the closer you look, the more you see. After reading this book, hopefully you will see even more in the work of the artists featured.