A Painter of Darkness: Leon Golub and His Times

A Painter of Darkness: Leon Golub and His Times

Book by Gerald Marzorati This is a highly politicized writer's first-person account of his discovery of Golub's works and long-lasting friendship with the famous Jewish-American artist. To be convinced that Golub's reputation as a solitary near-genius is indeed merited, look elsewhere, e.g., Donald Kuspit's Leon Golub: Existential-Activist Painter (Rutgers Univ. Pr., 1985). Here readers must slough through Marzorati's pages of dogmatism and unremarkable visual reportage. He repeatedly attempts to put words into Golub's mouth and to turn the political artist Golub into a rabble-rousing illustrator. Nevertheless, Marzorati's years of recording the artist's conversations, presumably accurate in the telling, are an extremely valuable resource. The section on Golub's attending the Oliver North testimony at the Iran-Contra hearings is memorable. Recommended for specialized collections and those with other materials on Golub. - Mary Hamel-Schwulst, Towson State Univ., Md. Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.