Reviews (1)

Review of "Dear Friend"
This well-written and well-researched book is important for anyone interested in painting at the turn of the century, in the position of woman artists at that time, or in Paul Modersohn-Becker herself. It also offers insights into the life and psyche of the famous poet Rainer Maria Rilke. Modersohn-Becker suffers from being known primarily through "Requiem for a Friend," a poem written about her by Rilke, whose view is colored by his own needs and beliefs. Torgersen shows that far from only having made a good beginning, as Rilke claimed, Modersohn-Becker had developed a style of her own and had created a number of arresting and original paintings. Rilke also claimed that in attempting to reconcile marriage and a career in art, Modersohn-Becker had chosen wrongly. Torgersen traces Modersohn-Becker's handling of her husband's attempt to to assert authority over her, and shows that she had convinced him to allow space for her art in their marriage. This, too, was a remarkable achievement for her time. Art historians and feminists ought to read this book. ... Read more

Book Description

Revolving around the public and private lives of the great modern painter Paula Modersohn-Becker, this collection explores the artist's relationship with her craft and her friendship with poet Rainer Maria Rilke and his wife, sculptor Clara Westhoff. Inspired by the artist's numerous self-portraits, Bhatt transports the image of Modersohn-Becker to present-day Germany. This book-length sequence of poems presents a rich and fully conceived history of the inner and outer worlds of one of the century's great modern painters. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A rare find
Not much is available on Paula Modersohn-Becker that explores her art and her life, without tagging her to Rilke, her husband, other artists in her commune, etc. I believe this is the first monograph on P.M.-B. You'll be amazed by the artist's work, its beauty and foresight, and the facts of her brief life. ... Read more

Book Description

These rare documents chronicle the developing persona of the young woman Expressionist painter at the turn of the century, struggling to resolve the conflict between what she demanded of herself as an artist and what society expected of her as a married woman. Radycki provides an intriguing guide to the art capitals of Berlin, London, and Paris through the eyes of a woman studying art there and through contemporary sources that describe the artistic milieu and the status of women in 1900. We view the changing relationships between Becker and her friends, the poet Rainer Maria Rilke, Clara Westhoff (the sculptor who married Rilke), and her husband, the painter Otto Modersohn. The letters begin when Becker is in art school and end within a month of her tragic death in 1907 at age thirty-one. The epilogue includes Rilke's intense "Requiem" of 1908, translated by Lilly Engler and Adrienne Rich and never before published and Rich's own moving "Paula Becker to Clara Westhoff." ... Read more