One of my holiday gifts was
Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography by David Michaelis (what a great cover, from a graphics point of view!). This book about Peanuts creator Charles Schulz's life caused
quite a stir when it was published. In true Michaelis form, the book was detailed and cohesive. I took note of mention of the Wyeth family connection to Charles Schulz (while reading the book, not the review) and wondered if that was the door-opener for the author to gain access to family documents. Turns out it was.
Michaelis's biography of N.C. Wyeth was one of the best reads from 2003.
While I found the Schulz book to be riveting, the overtones of depression and repression cast a pall that I could not escape the entire time I read it. That, coupled with the timeline emphasis on the late sixties and seventies, a period that I recall as the beginning of a nationwide epidemic of mood disorders, was a real downer! I had flashbacks of a papaya-hued kaftan I sported each evening after work.
Rats!!
One of my holiday gifts was Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography by David Michaelis (what a great cover, from a graphics point of view!). This book about Peanuts creator Charles Schulz's life caused quite a stir when it was published. In true Michaelis form, the book was detailed and cohesive. I took note of mention of the Wyeth family connection to Charles Schulz (while reading the book, not the review) and wondered if that was the door-opener for the author to gain access to family documents. Turns out it was.
Michaelis's biography of N.C. Wyeth was one of the best reads from 2003.
While I found the Schulz book to be riveting, the overtones of depression and repression cast a pall that I could not escape the entire time I read it. That, coupled with the timeline emphasis on the late sixties and seventies, a period that I recall as the beginning of a nationwide epidemic of mood disorders, was a real downer! I had flashbacks of a papaya-hued kaftan I sported each evening after work. Rats!!
5 comments:
Both books/individuals sound fascinating. You know that the Wyeth family has a very strong New Mexico connection, right? His sister married Peter Hurd, a protege of NC's. The subject of many of Hurd's paintings was landscapes of the valleys between Roswell and Ruidoso, where P&H lived for many years.
Oopsala (as the Germans would say)! Correction: NC's daughter Henriette married Hurd, not his sister.
I had a moment when I was reading the Wyeth bio that I thought, man, New Mexico has always been the place for artists. After reading your comment I looked it those Hurds up--that family is still painting. Some Wyeth branches, four generations. Amazing.
There's a Hurd family gallery and B&B (La Rinconada) in San Patricio in the Hondo Valley. It's a wonderful part of New Mexico, if you ever get the chance to explore it.
Post a Comment