Maxfield Parrish: The Secret Letters
Category: Books,Arts & Photography,History & Criticism
Maxfield Parrish: The Secret Letters Details
About the Author Alma Gilbert-Smith is considered this country’s premiere authority and consultant for major auction houses and private buyers on the works of American artist Maxfield Parrish (1870-1966) as well as for other American artists of the nineteenth and twentieth century. These were the artists which populated the famous Cornish Art Colony in the Connecticut River Valley towns of Cornish and Plainfield, New Hampshire. She is the author of the definitive book on the life, career and works of Maxfield Parrish, titled: “Maxfield Parrish: The Masterworks”. Additionally, she has written fourteen other books on the life and works of the artist, as well as on the Cornish (NH) art colony and the historic homes of that area. A commemorative room honoring her legacy was dedicated by the State of New Hampshire at the Concord State Library in August 2012. Mrs. Gilbert-Smith founded and maintained for many years a museum displaying the works of Maxfield Parrish as well as the works of other prominent artists of the prestigious Cornish (NH) Art Colony. She has taught summer sessions at Dartmouth College’s Ilead program and at Colby-Sawyer College on both the life and works of Parrish and other Cornish Colony artists. She and her husband Peter Smith currently live in Southern California Read more
Reviews
Maxfield Parrish became my favorite artist when I was a child. My mother bought a framed print of Daybreak at an auction when I was about 10. I had no idea who painted it at that point, I just knew I loved it. As a teen I ran across a copy of Coy Ludwig's Maxfield Parrish, Daybreak is on the cover. That is how I discovered Maxfield Parrish. I have remained a fan of his work since. I have read most books about him and have all Ms. Gilbert's books. I enjoyed this one in particular because it shows a personal side to the artist. You will get more than a peek inside his thoughts and his love for N.R. Also, theres little splashes of his life with his children, his wife Lydia and Susan Lewin (the model for many of his paintings.) I did find myself feeling sorry for Lydia and Maxfield at the same time, Lydia obviously didnt have the love of Maxfield and he denied himself the love(marriage) of Nancy. I wasnt particulary thrilled to know the cheating heart of this wonderful artist and why N.R. let it continue on for the amount of time it did. Its unfortunate the letters Nancy wrote to Maxfield didnt survive, imagine the story then! Overall a wonderful well written book.
