The Eccentrics and other Visionary Painters

by Abraham A. Davidson, Daniel V. Davidson

Book by Davidson

202 pages, paperback

First published January 1, 1978

Reviews

[Jim Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rather odd book about some little-known American artists (I was familiar only with Hicks, painter of "The Peaceable Kingdom") whose work tended toward the fantastic, mystical and eccentric. The author's organization is strange--discussing about a dozen key artists under broad themes that tended to confuse their works rather than clarify them. Because their works are so different--from the mystical impressionistic landscapes of George Inness to the fantastic imaginary cities painted by Thomas Cole, I have a hard time putting these artists in any kind of category other than odd-ball painters who did not fit into the mainstream. I love this kind of art, and I enjoyed reading about the artists' lives, but wish the book had been better organized and that there was less jumping from one artist to another in attempt to prove some kind of links between them.