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The American Painter Emma Dial
Emma Dial is a virtuoso painter who executes the works of Michael Freiburg, a preeminent figure in the New York art world. She has a sensuous and exacting hand, hips like a matador, and long neglected ambitions of her own. She spends her days completing a series of pictures for Freiburg's spring exhibition and her nights drinking and dining with friends and luminaries. Into this landscape walks Philip Cleary, Emma's longtime painting hero and a colleague and rival of her boss. Philip Cleary represents the ideal artistic existence, a respected painter, fearless and undeterred by fashion. He is unmatched by anyone from Emma's generation. Except, just possibly, Emma herself. Emma Dial must choose between the security of being a studio assistant to a renowned painter and the unknown future as an artist in her own right. Samantha Peale writes with astonishing insight about a young woman who risks everything to fulfill her ambitions as an artist.
338 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
9 people are currently reading
173 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
January 8, 2010
My Girlfriend left this in the bathroom on her (i wont name it) e-reader retardo thingy.... I had never held one in my hand and as i grew more disgusted with the format i started reading this novel on it with a disdainful inner voice like i hated anything this stupid machine could contain. after the first chapter i went to the store that is two blocks away (i will name it Skylight on Vermont in Ellay), and paid cash for a hard back book. I read it. I thought it was great. My heart raced. I want more. More books, more parties, more sex, more courage to make cool things.
December 1, 2009
I learned a lot about the life of a painter's assistant, I had no idea a famous artist might openly employ somebody else to do their painting for them and that their collectors and art dealers and colleagues would accept that. Emma Dial is the painter's assistant, since art school she has always put her own needs after those of others. Besides Michael her famous employer there is her best friend Irene who is gorgeous, flighty, and always the center of attention.
Eventually Emma suffers an identity crisis of sorts, and finally makes some changes in her life. I didn't love this book in the beginning but it did grow on me.
Eventually Emma suffers an identity crisis of sorts, and finally makes some changes in her life. I didn't love this book in the beginning but it did grow on me.
July 4, 2010
Oh, I really liked Emma Dial - so sorry the book is done. It's the BEST book i've ever read on the creative process - the nitty gritty of it when you're sitting there facing the canvas. The importance of place, of growth and the appreciation of good work that knocks you out. There's a painting Emma is affected by, a boy leading a pony, which I wished so badly I could have seen. Also, I wanted to see the painting Michael 'gave' her. Emma is so honest - a wonderful character.
July 16, 2009
Emma sleeps with her boss, The Greatest Living Painter, while growing more resentful of painting his famous paintings and fantasizing about The Other Greatest Living Painter. Emma is having serious artistic constipation when it comes to her own work. Finally she has bodice-ripping sex with The Other Greatest Living Painter who tells The Greatest Living Painter that Emma is a great painter. Emma quits her day job and goes to live in Miami (where The Other Greatest Living Painter resides) and finds the courage to paint for herself! Aaargh!
What I learned from this book: Read something else.
What I learned from this book: Read something else.
November 8, 2010
This was a super fun read. It made me want to make something. Thanks, Lauren!
December 31, 2015
A fascinating read, a glimpse of the New York art scene as I'd never imagined it could be. The main character, Emma Dial, is preeminent painter Michael Freiburg's assistant. She moves through a world that I sense would crush many a creative soul. With only a few close friends, she lives a life that revolves around art, repressing her own ego, executing someone else's vision. I felt this story was one of profound personal growth. Emma has a good deal of grit and integrity; she risks much to find her own fate. Almost felt like cheering for her at the end. Couldn't put this one down, finished it in a day.
June 13, 2009
All right, I couldn't put this book down, and in two days was done with it. But, it probably could have been a short story, and I was a little disappointed that the climax didn't occur until nearly the end of the book. It was an engaging read, mostly because of the building tension, but the execution of the conflict, was ok. So it goes in the life of a painter. It was interesting to read about williamsburg, but i'm not sure there are any studios there now.
March 15, 2014
Man, this is a hard one! I toggled between a 3 and a 4 throughout this whole book. A 3.5 it is; rounding up on rating system to offset those 1 and two stars ;-)
July 18, 2017
"It touches us not."
I really could not relate to any of the characters, although I am a well-traveled artist myself. I guess one has to be an established artist, an inhabitant of New York, and a woman.
In Emma, I only saw a woman who enjoys being used.
Then, we get to the part where she strikes out on her own to paint...dead birds floating in pools.
Peale's descriptions capture a moment, for sure. Therefore, the book has merit.
I really could not relate to any of the characters, although I am a well-traveled artist myself. I guess one has to be an established artist, an inhabitant of New York, and a woman.
In Emma, I only saw a woman who enjoys being used.
Then, we get to the part where she strikes out on her own to paint...dead birds floating in pools.
Peale's descriptions capture a moment, for sure. Therefore, the book has merit.
January 5, 2021
Being an artist’s assistant is a world unto itself that few (if any) have written about. A whole class of artists waiting for their break while living and breathing the art world, eating catered meals alongside dealers and collectors. Peale captures the contradictions and dualities of this particular NYC subculture perfectly, making us jealous and sad all at once.
May 4, 2017
Enjoyed it very much. As a painter I have a personal interest in the subject matter. It's very compatible and familiar territory in the descriptions of paint, materials, although New York is not. The unfamiliar setting added interest. What do they get up to in the big city? Good story.
January 16, 2018
I particularly liked the authentic references to art and art methods. The characters were interesting too.
November 27, 2020
Unexpectedly enjoyable - love it when that happens. It has similarities to Thomasin Sleigh’s equally enjoyable Women in the Field, One and Two. Looking forward to reading more from this author.
February 12, 2017
I've not recently read a book about a person making art in the contemporary art world that successfully captures the peculiar real life nuances of that lifestyle. I call it a lifestyle because after making the art, the world that the art and artist inhabits is truly a strange way of living.
Peale's characters never feel like art world caricatures. They possess an honesty that draws the reader into their very mundane, sometimes superficial, everyday art-making lives. I know for sure Peale is either an artist or has at some point been a creature of the art world. Her depictions of artistic place and purpose are wholly authentic. I felt like I knew Emma and understood her life because I have lived that life and Peale managed to somehow magically transfer it to the page.
Emma Dial with your white hair: what a resilient and silent character! An uncharacteristically masculine woman attempting to secure a place in a world she already passively dominates with her immense skill and talent. Surrounded by foolish men, and their foolish wealth, (who no longer actually make art), Emma's dilemma is how to become that thing which she already is: an artist. This book does an excellent job of exploring the trials of artistic transformation.
I'm not sure this story will be interesting for everyone, however anyone who finds the contemporary art world, or how an artist works, intriguing, will find this book a compelling read. The excellence of this book resides in its attention to detail. So it is a slow, but meaningful experience.
Peale's characters never feel like art world caricatures. They possess an honesty that draws the reader into their very mundane, sometimes superficial, everyday art-making lives. I know for sure Peale is either an artist or has at some point been a creature of the art world. Her depictions of artistic place and purpose are wholly authentic. I felt like I knew Emma and understood her life because I have lived that life and Peale managed to somehow magically transfer it to the page.
Emma Dial with your white hair: what a resilient and silent character! An uncharacteristically masculine woman attempting to secure a place in a world she already passively dominates with her immense skill and talent. Surrounded by foolish men, and their foolish wealth, (who no longer actually make art), Emma's dilemma is how to become that thing which she already is: an artist. This book does an excellent job of exploring the trials of artistic transformation.
I'm not sure this story will be interesting for everyone, however anyone who finds the contemporary art world, or how an artist works, intriguing, will find this book a compelling read. The excellence of this book resides in its attention to detail. So it is a slow, but meaningful experience.
Read
August 1, 2009The American Painter Emma Dial - Samantha Peale
What is it you really want, and due to your own self-created plague never get around to doing?
I was under the misimpression that this book was lighter ... chick-littish. I hadn't expected the harder bite, the social critique and the anguish. Self-important anguish, but who hasn't faced that very real hazard too. Very much about class and power in what should be a meritocracy but is simply the same old authoritarian labor system reworked.
I recently read You, Or Someone Like You (see my comments on this book) and see many comparisons between the two. (Curiously this book is set in New York City, with the author living in LA, and the Chandler Burr book is set in LA, and the author living in NYC.) It's interesting to compare the lives and choices of Anne Rosenbaum and Emma Dial, both talented elite, Anne in literature Emma in art, living upper class lives, and both subjugating themselves to men in their live. Emma is the more desperate of the two, but the struggle for authenticity and self realization is the same. I think the books resolve in similar ways too.
On the art side, this book had the opportunity, only partially realized, to discuss real topics in painting and art. You, Or Someone Like You did this so well with lit.
I personally connected with the miasma of an unexplored or thwarted creative drive that is a central theme in this book.
What is it you really want, and due to your own self-created plague never get around to doing?
I was under the misimpression that this book was lighter ... chick-littish. I hadn't expected the harder bite, the social critique and the anguish. Self-important anguish, but who hasn't faced that very real hazard too. Very much about class and power in what should be a meritocracy but is simply the same old authoritarian labor system reworked.
I recently read You, Or Someone Like You (see my comments on this book) and see many comparisons between the two. (Curiously this book is set in New York City, with the author living in LA, and the Chandler Burr book is set in LA, and the author living in NYC.) It's interesting to compare the lives and choices of Anne Rosenbaum and Emma Dial, both talented elite, Anne in literature Emma in art, living upper class lives, and both subjugating themselves to men in their live. Emma is the more desperate of the two, but the struggle for authenticity and self realization is the same. I think the books resolve in similar ways too.
On the art side, this book had the opportunity, only partially realized, to discuss real topics in painting and art. You, Or Someone Like You did this so well with lit.
I personally connected with the miasma of an unexplored or thwarted creative drive that is a central theme in this book.
August 18, 2009
[This contains spoilers to a degree:]
I wish that Goodreads would offer half stars. This book was definitely a 3.5. It starts off really well and is pretty much exactly what you'd expect and hope it would be: a sexy, first-hand perspective into the life of an artist's assistant and the art world she inhabits. The trouble is that while Emma Dial does question her role and hopes to work beyond it, you never have a clear sense of her vision, or honestly, what art means to her. You know she's a phenomenal study and truly gifted, but why she's doing this is anyone's guess and I felt that way at the end of the book. Brilliant men are easy to work with and behind (both sexually and professionally), but what else? Just as she begins to find herself, the book ends. I'd have liked more, but I think that would make it a much larger sprawling book which doesn't seem to be the author's intention. I would have loved to have been in on editorial conversations about this book. Worth a breezy read.
I wish that Goodreads would offer half stars. This book was definitely a 3.5. It starts off really well and is pretty much exactly what you'd expect and hope it would be: a sexy, first-hand perspective into the life of an artist's assistant and the art world she inhabits. The trouble is that while Emma Dial does question her role and hopes to work beyond it, you never have a clear sense of her vision, or honestly, what art means to her. You know she's a phenomenal study and truly gifted, but why she's doing this is anyone's guess and I felt that way at the end of the book. Brilliant men are easy to work with and behind (both sexually and professionally), but what else? Just as she begins to find herself, the book ends. I'd have liked more, but I think that would make it a much larger sprawling book which doesn't seem to be the author's intention. I would have loved to have been in on editorial conversations about this book. Worth a breezy read.
January 31, 2010
I liked this book for several reasons:
1) Most of it was set in lower Manhattan, right near where I live, so I knew exactly where everything Emma interacted with was, and I always enjoy that.
2) The descriptions of the art world were as insiderish and gossipy as you might want.
3) There was one sex scene I thought was really hot.
4) I liked Emma, who was pretty unapologetic, even though she did a lot of slacking off, sleeping with inappropriate dudes, drinking too much, etc.
But otherwise it was just an average work of literary fiction that didn't grab me as much as I'd hoped. A decent library pick.
1) Most of it was set in lower Manhattan, right near where I live, so I knew exactly where everything Emma interacted with was, and I always enjoy that.
2) The descriptions of the art world were as insiderish and gossipy as you might want.
3) There was one sex scene I thought was really hot.
4) I liked Emma, who was pretty unapologetic, even though she did a lot of slacking off, sleeping with inappropriate dudes, drinking too much, etc.
But otherwise it was just an average work of literary fiction that didn't grab me as much as I'd hoped. A decent library pick.
June 7, 2010
Just didn't love it. I can't (and don't want to) relate to Emma. But I want to broaden my horizons and understand or see how others live and work and so I finished the book.
I can relate to doing what you're passionate about but I don't understand a life dedicated solely to pursuing only one vision to the exclusion of family and security--but that's what makes an artist an artist and I'm not an artist. I'm a regular people--one of the regular people that make the world go round while artists inspire and help us see the world differently.
I don't think I'll be a fan on the HBO series in consideration.
I can relate to doing what you're passionate about but I don't understand a life dedicated solely to pursuing only one vision to the exclusion of family and security--but that's what makes an artist an artist and I'm not an artist. I'm a regular people--one of the regular people that make the world go round while artists inspire and help us see the world differently.
I don't think I'll be a fan on the HBO series in consideration.
July 19, 2009
This seems like one more of those.. "I'm doing it wrong" struggle for change and becoming a new better self type books. It was interesting, but jumps around a lot. I guess we don't need all the details to get the story.
*** Minor Spoilers***
I think I am just frustrated that once someone starts to make steps in the right direction the book ends. It reminds me a lot of I Just Want My Pants Back which was a lot the same in many ways.
*** Minor Spoilers***
I think I am just frustrated that once someone starts to make steps in the right direction the book ends. It reminds me a lot of I Just Want My Pants Back which was a lot the same in many ways.
August 15, 2011
A compelling portrait contained within a detailed, first person fictional view of the world of contemporary art and artists in New York. In outline, the story would seem a cliche--the career of a young woman artist subsumed by her work for and relationship with her illustrious artist boss--but the author writes authentically and occasionally memorably of a small set of individual characters who fortunately fail to behave archetypically. And her place descriptions--viewed with the eyes of an artist-- are very, very good.
May 6, 2010
The narrator is a complete cipher, a vessel for Great Male Painters and someone who drifts through things unaffected (for the most part). There's some potential for interesting commentary here about female artists being oppressed by Great Men, but unfortunately she keeps sleeping with all the Great Men. But I did like the scene where she starts working and the Great Man interrupts here and she tells him to f*ck off. That was a good scene.
March 13, 2011
I didn't know that being an assistant to a great painter meant painting in his/her name. I understand that a good idea can spark a great painting but I think creating art is too personal and using someone's talents like Emma's is plain fraud. It was inspiring to see her take charge (at the very end) but the "risk" wasn't as significant as the book's review suggested since she owned paintings worth half a million a piece. That's not my idea of a struggling artist....
August 6, 2009
Emma Dial is a virtuoso painter who executes the works of Michael Freiburg, her boss in the NYC art world. The book started out good enough but then tired me with the millions of clichés about the city. If you want to read great books about NYC and the lives of those who live there, then pick up something by Paul Auster.
November 28, 2009
I adored this book, so much so that I re-read the second half twice. It's a wonderful exploration of what makes an artist and I found Emma Dial such an appealing heroine. She is on a personal quest and I enjoyed reasding about her journey. Made me want to visit Miami, and I love it when an author writes so vibrantly about a place.
October 14, 2010
I liked this very much. Not the story so much but the way it made me feel. Peale totally nails New York and all that can happen to you as you make your way through your thirties. How to commit, how to waste time, how to mature, how to grow up, and when are you too old to let yourself be treated like a piece of shit.
Great book.
Great book.
July 3, 2015
I really enjoyed meeting and spending time with Emma Dial, a painter who paints someone else's paintings. I was really rooting for her from page one. Very vivid characters in this book, a bit of drama, a bit of romance, a bit of melancholy. A very good read. It actually made me want to pick up a paintbrush.
May 31, 2009
This was Samantha Peale's first novel, and it wasn't bad. All the details about being an artist's assitant felt real. The rest of the character details weren't quite as strong. A quick read. If she writes something else I will probably pick it up.
June 5, 2009
It seems that I love novels about painters. This is the second one I've read in the past few months and I devoured it. It's a story about art, creativity, the creative process and leaving New York to find yourself. I must admit, I'm inspired.
July 7, 2009
A brief read that I enjoyed. Not sure that I agree with the rave review in the New York Times, but I have no frame of reference for the New York art scene, so perhaps that was a stumbling block. Also, I'm hung up on one detail that I won't go into here, but is driving me nuts.
July 12, 2012
Picked this book up in a thrift store as it was about the New York art world as seen through the eyes of an artist's assistant. Really hit the mark and thought it was an interesting read. Somewhat cynical at times and a look at the art world from an insider.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews