brief dialogue with Dr David Anfam
Below is a brief email dialog about Clyfford Still between David Anfam and David Poyser.
Dr David Anfam and David Poyser artist were due to continue their dialog, but sadly David Anfam died.
Background to David Anfam:
David Anfam (12 May 1955 – 21 August 2024) was an English art historian, author and curator. He was the senior consulting curator for The Clyfford Still Museum in Denver, Colorado, and the director of its research center. He is best known for scholarship that broadened and deepened our understanding and appreciation of Abstract Expressionism, especially the work of Mark Rothko, Clyfford Still and Jackson Pollock.
Background to email dialog:
In 2023 David Poyser had a brief dialog with the art curator scholar Dr David Anfam before he suddenly died the following year, on a shared interest in the American Abstract Expressionist painter Clyfford Still. Anfam seemed to Poyser to be a kindred spirit on painting, from their differing but interesting viewpoints of art history and the practicalities of painting. Both had also been on American road trips, Anfam for his 1984 PhD on Clyfford Still at the Courtauld Institute of Art, London, while Poyser wrote his 1974 undergraduate thesis on American Abstract Expressionism. Anfam expressed his wish to continue their dialog, but his death ended that.
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DIALOG:
Arranged first with David Anfam's reply to David Poyser
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From: Dr David Anfam
Sent: Friday, October 20, 2023 16:11
To: David Poyser - (email address private)
Dear David (if I may)
Many thanks for your extremely interesting message.
Clyfford (as, after so 40 years, I call him) was a man of many contradictions.
By a typical historical irony, it would be hard to imagine more antithetical souls than Clyfford or Clement.
I agree that simply typecasting Clyfford as a sort of misanthrope, who hated the art world and a lot more besides, is an over-simplification. Likewise, I believe that his rhetoric and hyperbole was at root a way of clearing a space for himself and his work. Somewhat along the lines of Harold Bloom's "anxiety of influence" theory.
Above all, Clyfford was an outsider by choice and force of a difficult upbringing. At the end of the day, one cannot be both outside and inside any dimension, be it the art world or whatever.
In closing, I would like to continue our dialog in the foreseeable future. For now, I am working relentlessly to make up for time lost to illness last month. This also explains the lateness of my response. Might we reconnect in the second half of next month when life should be a bit less pressured?
Again, I genuinely appreciate your thoughts!
All the best
David
p.s. i am in london n1. may i ask where you are located? just curious
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From: david poyser <reply-to+5a036ecf7ea8@crm.wix.com>
Subject: [www.davidanfam.com]
Date: 8 October 2023 at 11:54:27 BST
To: David Anfam 1@artexuk.com
on www.davidanfam.com
Message from:
First Name: david
Last Name: poyser
Email: private
Message:
Hello Mr Anfam,
Regarding Clyfford Still's supposed reasons for seemingly withdrawing from the art market world. In fact he did exhibit in that period and he did sell, so he was part of it. Many artists would be thankful for that (like me for instance who has been ignored by the art world for over fifty years), and he himself should have been thankful, and especially to Clement Greenberg's supportive commentary.
I wonder if Still's 'withdrawal' was more to do with Greenberg's interests being in formalism whereas Still was concerned with the spirit in his work? Perhaps Still thought that Greenberg might reconsider his position if Still insisted on his own 'spirit' idea, and perhaps downgade Still's importance.
Still best knew his own character and that he might damage his own legacy if he continued speaking like that as against Greenberg's formalist views. Maybe then, Still decided to 'withdraw' and stop talking about his work? After all, he already had Greenberg's positive review, and perhaps he did not want to risk losing his support.
This is all, in my view, masked by the perception of Still as a difficult character who hated the art world. I personally think that is a conveniently easy way to approach Still's life, work and reputation. Perhaps he is not what he appears to be.
I have long been interested in Still's paintings, and wote my undergraduate thesis 1971-74 on the American Abstract Expressionists. As a painter myself I think I have an insight that non-practitioners cannot have.
Regards,
David Poyser
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Date: Sat 2023-11-18 05:39
From: david poyser
To: Dr David Anfam
Hello David,
Yes, that's fine. Contact me whenever you wish. I am always happy to talk about artists, and Clyfford Still is one of my favourites.
My Outlook email account originally put your message in the junk folder and deleted it without me knowing. However, I happened to notice it in the recovery folder and retrieved it. In view of any other possible problems with Outlook, an alternate way to message me if you wish is via the contact page on my website - which can easily be found by googling david poyser artist. A quick note is okay and I could return a message to establish an email link.
Regards,
David Poyser
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David Poyser artist / portfolio
