OF AN ARTIST

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CONFESSIONSCONFESSIONSCONFESSIONSCONFESSIONSCONFESSIONS OF AN OF AN OF AN OF AN OF AN ARTIST ARTIST ARTIST ARTIST ARTIST

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CONFESSIONSOF AN

ARTIST

Norman Sasowsky

The Moment PressNewark, DE 19715

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Copyright Norman Sasowsky 2012

The Moment PressP.O.Box 656Newark, DE 19715302 368 [email protected]://normansasowsky.com

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I am older, old, and still an artist.I started art at the same time I entered

adolescence, not consciously, but it was a way tohelp me get through this stage of my life.

I didn’t know my mother. She was placed in amental institution, apparently suffering from postpartum depression. My father could not care for me.My grandmothers did this.

I was never sure of my place in my family, orin the world.

Art helped me to find a place.

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54-4 “Self Portrait;” Oil/linen, 26 X 18”

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In Junior High School art class we weregiven a textbook; ART NOW. I liked it so much Ineglected to return it at the end of the term.

I particularly remember the Weston photo ofa shell.

I don’t think I’d ever seen a book like thisbefore.

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59-5 “Self Portrait; Oil/linen, 27 X 21”

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I was a poor student academically, not awake to theworld or my potential.

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I was, however, lucky. Progressing through thepublic schools I went to Abraham Linclon High, Brooklyn,NY, and was able to study with Leon Friend* an outstand-ing art teacher.

I don’t know how I got a “job” in the BiologyDepartment Lab making charts. Sophie Wolfe* wasthe Lab Director who was later noted for her influ-ence on students such as to Paul Berg, the Nobelaward recipient. It was an important experience forme and I can still “see” her.

*Leon Friendhttp://observatory.designobserver.com/entry.html?entry=5717

*Sophie Wolfehttp://science.howstuffworks.com/dictionary/famous-scientist/biologist/paul-berg-info.htm

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60-9 Self Portrait;” Oil/linen, 24 X 18”?

Mr. Friend had established a club whichwould operate independently in the school: The ArtSquad. We had our own rules and regulations,elections, and activities. We served the school inmany ways: designing bulletin boards, makingposters for school activities, and others.

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Even though I was not very socially developedI was elected to serve a term as the Art Squad Direc-tor. We had many talented students in the school.Friend’s emphasis was on Graphic Design.

Graduates from Lincoln went on to fineschools like the Cooper Union. They were academi-cally as well as artistically gifted and had excellentcareers as designers and illustrators, one of whomwas Seymour Chwast (co founder of The Push PinStudio), my peer and friend, who earned deservedinternational fame. There were many others.

86-86 “Self Portrait;” Oil Stick/paper, 26 X 19”

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I think my art ability brought me positiveattention. I started to find a place in the world.Otherwise I had no sense of myself or value. I gradu-ated in January 1949 and encountered my firstexperience with depression. I had been raised by mygrandmother and had little family direction orguidance.

In high school I had won gold medals in theyearly Scholastic Awards and second place in anindependent poster contest. The latter helped me(after seeing a Psychiatrist one time - a rarity in ourfamily and time) get past my depression.

I was awarded a scholarship which I appliedto attending the Art Students League of NY. I wasnot ready for college. We only had studio classes.

86-89 “Self Portrait;” Oil/panel, 20 X 18”

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While there I enrolled in Harry Sternberg’spainting class. That year Sternberg selected one ofmy paintings to represent the class in the schoolcatalog.

At the League I studied with George Grosz,Kenneth Hayes Miller (I was appointed his last ClassMonitor. He died shortly thereafter.) and ReginaldMarsh.

By now you must be wondering where theConfession is. Well, I can’t promise you anythingthat would be worthy of a tabloid, but if you haveany interest in art or an artist’s life, even an obscureone, stick with me.

You may have guessed by now that I’m not ahard drinking, womanizing, artist, although Iremain, even at this late date, fascinated by theenigmas of women and life.

I rented a studio (really an office) at 1 UnionSquare in 1952, on a floor beneath Marsh’s atticstudio. Many artists had studios in and around theSquare. Arshille Gorky was one of Marsh’s neighborsin the building before I got there.

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88-106 “Self Portrait at Easel;” Pastel/paper, 30 X 22”

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I don’t think I planned this rental but once Irealized Marsh was above me I’d wait, around noon,to hear his door close and then I’d go out to theelevator, just outside my door, to join him for the ridedown. Then I ‘d walk him towards his home/apart-ment on the other side of the park and have a chanceto visit with him.

Years later when I worked as “curator” forMarsh’s Estate, Felicia, his widow told me theythought I never accepted an invitation to join themfor lunch because I was Kosher - I was not - I was tooshy.


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In the summer of 1954 Marsh suggested I visithis father, Fred Dana Marsh while I was inWoodstock, NY for the weekend with friends. Marshdied that weekend, July 4th, while he was in Ver-mont. He was fifty-six.

It was not until I was on a train heading back tothe city that a random encounter with a friend(Rudy Brams) from the ASL told me the news. It wasa psychological shock and made me ill. Prior tolearning of Marsh’s death, I had told another friendthat I felt a strange transmission of artistic sensibil-ity, if such things can occur. See the two paintings Iwas working on at this time - Marsh had seen themand had added a few strokes to feel the materials Iwas using.

My “Girl Strolling” painting always seemed odd(prescient ?) in that it portrayed “Marsh’s girl” walk-ing away, he almost invariably painted his girlsstriding in the other direction.

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54-1 “The Queen;” Egg Tempra/panel, 27 X 17”

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The artist Mary Laning and I had becomefriends at the League. She was the wife of the painterEd Laning and they were friends of the Marshs.When Marsh died and Mrs. Marsh’s lawyer, JosephWalker III was looking for someone to help care forMarsh’s work, Mary recommended me.

Mr. Walker invited me to his office in downtownNew York, overlooking the New York harbor. He alsohad a younger colleague there to size me up, to see ifI might be suitable for the work they needed.

How they came to choose me still remains amystery. I was not very well educated, having onlyattended the League - not much of a prospect. I washired at a modest pay, the same I had received in mymost recently terminated position in the commercialart world.

The costs for my services were to be shared byMrs. Marsh and former Senator William Benton.Benton, in an attempt to help Marsh’s widow care forhis friend’s paintings, had purchased a half interestin Marsh’s Estate.

I continued this work for twenty five years underthe guidance of another of Marsh’s fiends, LloydGoodrich, the Director of the Whitney Museum.

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My assignment was to catalog all his work leftin his Estate, which was considerable.

After my first two years, I took a three monthtour of Western Europe, the first and only suchexpedition.

54-2 “Girl Strolling Away;” Egg Tempera/panel, 23 X 18”

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I found myself seeking an identity, recognition,trying to replace what was not given to me at birthdue to circumstances well beyond my control. Isought to make my talent my entry card into lifeamong others.

A good deal later, I started realizing that I hadbeen racing to catch a bus that had left the station along time ago. I was seeking acceptance, love, ap-proval, and, at the center of this, safety.


The seductive Art World beckoned and since Ihad found some rewards* early in my life I thoughtthis was the way to go.

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My art talent led me to teaching and I hadsuccess, status, income, and all the benefits thatthese bring as a result of my work and life as a youngartist. I’m very grateful for that and still am. Itaught junior and senior high school in New YorkCity and then at the University of Delaware, all ofthis made possible by Marsh’s friends, my hard workand talent.

I can easily fault myself for seeking fame andfortune in the Art World - it has its attractions andmore artists now are able to reap these rewards, atleast for awhile.

*Edward Hopper had selected one of my paint-ings for a national exhibit and Willem de Kooningfor a New York City Center group exhibit.

97-56 “Self;” Pastel/paper, 14 X 11” 97-60 “Self;” Pastel/paper 14 X 11”

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It is, however, for the very few, and, once gained,very ephemeral. But, for many striving artists, this isdifficult to see, because it seems that part of anartist’s makeup comes with feeling special and ex-pecting the Reward.

The “lucky” ones develop a style or product thatcatches on and provides a way for the artist, andmore often the salesman, the art dealer, a means tocash in, and in our time there is a great deal ofmoney involved. Of course most of these profits endup in the hands of others because the “hot” itemimmediately becomes a commodity, something to betraded and not appreciated or valued for the artwork, intelligence, creativity.

97-38 Self;” Oil/paper, 14 X 11”

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All of these can quickly fall away and the artistis left to sustain the market for their work by makingthe necessary adaptations or withdrawing from the game.

You can imagine how good it can feel to haveone’s work recognized, honored, collected. One iseasily addicted. Unfortunately success can haveserious consequences for artists who cannot manageit. Yet many of us continue to seek that Success.

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01-34 “Self Portrait;’ Oil/paper, 14 X 11”

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Luckily, I was a teacher, I had a wife, children,and ultimately grandchildren, and, more than that,I was able to sustain my life in art. I did not suc-cumb to my early success by choosing to repeatmyself when this did not seem right, nor did I try toadapt to the current fashion, lingua franca, but Ichose, or was led to follow, where my art experiencesled me.

It was hard for me to fathom why others, espe-cially those with the power in the Art World, couldnot see what I was creating, accomplishing. Theyhad other visions that, literally, could not encompassmine.

We tend to think that we all see things in thesame way. Based on my experiences with people Ifind that our optical experiences are not identical,

10-21 “Self Portrait;’ Oil/paper 7 X 5”

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except in cases such as numerals where we all agreethat “4” represents the quantity of four things. Thesame can be said for letters in the same cultures,except when letters are strung together to createwords, meaning, The gap then widens greatly foragreement.

We also all have different needs when it comes toour lives, at least the way we perceive them.

So it should be no surprise for an artist to dis-cover that the images she or he may create can beread, experienced in a great variety of ways, even juston a perceptual level if that can ever be divorced fromother factors.

This leaves the artist ultimately on their ownand it is a pleasant surprise when it seems anotherperson can relate to your work close to what youexperience, intended, although images are not neces-sarily the result of controlled information.

08-20 “Self-Mirror;” Oil/panel, 11 X 14”

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I comforted myself by realizing that my experi-ence was not unusual because many of the artists Irevere had similar experiences, and, I found a smalllocal audience that eventually came to share andappreciate my vision, my paintings. This has beenenough to sustain me.

I am considered the authority on the Americanartist Reginald Marsh’s art. More than fifty years ofinvolvement with his work has earned me that recog-nition.

In my dealings with authorities in the ArtWorld I am often astounded that what I may havetaken for granted is not so. I’ve concluded that formany in the Art World it is not about artistic qual-ity, aesthetics, high intelligence (creativity) but aboutmany other things that are in play, often concerningart as a commodity, just another product, a collectible.

09-13 “Self;” Oil/panel, 6-1/2 X 5-1/4”

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I understand that there are few absolutes in art,there is a certain level of subjectivity, and relativity.What can remain, at least in my understanding, ishigh human achievement, energy, intelligence,creativity, skill, insight, profound at the core. I donot expect all art to aspire or achieve this, but it canbe life enhancing when this is achieved.

I have come to understand what is really impor-tant for me, being truthful to myself, being gratefulto be able to improve as an artist, to recognize myown gifts, and to feel very good about leaving in theworld the best of what I could create.

09-14 “Self 2;” Oil/panel, 6-1/2 X 5-11/4”

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I’ve done the work, created the images, offeredthem to others, and realized - I used to worry aboutwhat would happen to my paintings - that they haveand will have a life of their own when my life iscompleted.

We artists, often don’t realize the great gift wehave, - we are too busy chasing rewards, affirmation,- and missing the absolute joy of creation, of givingbirth to art and seeing/experiencing it in our world.

So, there you have it, my Confession: despera-tion for love, acceptance, recognition (the power tripto avoid our natural vulnerability), chasing thewrong goal, missing my ability to reap the reward forliving, experiencing the enriched life that art canafford.

I must also admit my presumptuousness increating this publication. Usually, this is reserved forpeople who have had great public recognition andthere is the assumption that others would be inter-ested in their artistic lives. My only justification isthat the many others, the less recognized talents,might gain something useful from this perspective.

The risk here is self aggrandizement, but timewill mediate and reveal.

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10-5 “Self;” Oil/linen, 40 X 30”

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Additional professional information can be obtained by going to the following site.

http://normansasowsky.com

The site includes many more paintings, por-traits, artist’s books, and a curriculum vitae - ex-hibitions, publications, collections.

A CD containing similar material plus an 11minute video is available by contacting the artistat: P. O. Box 656, Newark, DE 19715-0656,302 368 2287

Twelve youtube.com videos are available bysearching: 1norsky

OF AN ARTIST

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