Appreciation: Painting, Poetry and Prose

Passionate, generous, captious, gregarious, Leo Stein, if not forgotten completely, is often viewed as either an incidental shadow behind his flamboyant sister Gertrude, or, worse, her nemesis. First published just before his death in 1947, this volume is a loose amalgam of philosophical, political and personal reminiscences centered on what was indeed central to Leo Stein's life: visual art. Art's affinities with poetry and prose bind them all in this testament of a believer. The belief is that Being reveals itself most in art. Stein's sincere efforts to share his illuminations with ""Everyman"" allow readers to forgive arrogance in favor of his fundamental humility. Yet his trenchant barbs are unsparing of critics and others who refuse to see what he does. While some observations remain fresh and valid, many are dubious for all time. His voice is authentic, if opinionated, whether speaking of Picasso, Matisse, Casals or Vollard, of rich American art collectors or of unknown painters and their models. And his frequent use of anecdote allows Stein to flex his ample wit and humor. On literature, as on painting, his comments are hardly revolutionary or profound, but his agility in linking ideas across the spectrum of the arts makes his enthusiasm infectious and elicits compassion for a misunderstood man. (Feb.)