Artist, Soldier, Lover, Muse - Softcover

Hittner, Arthur D

Softcover

ISBN 10: 099898101X ISBN 13: 9780998981017

Publisher: Apple Ridge Fine Arts, 2017

Synopsis

Freshly graduated from Yale in 1935, Henry J. Kapler parlays his talent, determination, and creative energy into a burgeoning art career in New York under the wing of artists such as Edward Hopper and Reginald Marsh. The young artist first gains notoriety when his depiction of a symbolic, interracial handshake between ballplayers is attacked by a knife-wielding assailant at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington. Yet even as his art star rises, his personal life turns precarious--and perilous--when his love for Fiona, a young WPA muralist, collides with his growing attraction to the exquisitely beautiful Alice, an ex-chorus girl who becomes his model and muse. Alice is the girlfriend of Fiona's cousin, Jake Powell, the hotheaded, hard-drinking outfielder for the New York Yankees whose jealousy explodes into abuse and rage, endangering the lives of all three. While Henry wrestles with his complicated love life, he also struggles mightily to reconcile his pacifism with the rabid patriotism of his Jewish-Russian emigre father. As war draws near, Henry faces two difficult choices, one of which could cost him his life. 

Artist, Soldier, Lover, Muse transports the reader to pre-war New York City, into the creative mind of the artist, and into the lives of major figures from the worlds of art, sports, and politics. In the tradition of art-centered fiction such as Dominic Smith's The Last Painting of Sara de Vos, Tracy Chevalier's Girl with a Pearl Earring, and B. A. Shapiro's The Art Forger, it will appeal to art lovers, sports enthusiasts, and lovers of smart historical fiction.

About this title

About the Author:

ARTHUR D. HITTNER has been writing books and articles about art and baseball for more than two decades. A retired attorney, he spent nearly thirty-four years with the national law firm now known as Nixon Peabody LLP, resident in the firm's Boston office. He served as a trustee of Danforth Art (formerly the Danforth Museum of Art) in Framingham, Massachusetts and the Tucson Museum of Art in Tucson, Arizona and was a co-owner of the Lowell Spinners, a minor league baseball club affiliated with his beloved Boston Red Sox. Married with two children and three grandchildren, Hittner currently divides his time between Oro Valley, Arizona and Natick, Massachusetts. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School.

Review:

"This historical novel reads like a labor of love. Or, of two loves, to be precise: art and baseball. Retired lawyer Arthur D. Hittner, who has written extensively on both art of the '30s and '40s and of baseball, incorporates both in "Artist, Soldier, Lover, Muse." Inspired by the short, tragic life of little-known painter Harold J. Rabinovitz, it features fictional Henry J. Kapler, who defies his émigré father and heads to New York in 1936 to pursue a career as an artist. In this heady time for art, Henry meets some Modernist artistic stars, and witnesses some historic baseball. He also makes an artistic splash, along with an amorous mash-up. These all play out against the specter of looming war, and Jewish pacifist Henry must decide what to do against the Nazi threat. This is a rewarding, pleasurable read. Hittner writes knowledgeably and discerningly. Including historic artists, movements, baseball players, and the political setting, he lets us dip into a vibrant period."  -- Christine Wald-Hopkins, Arizona Daily Star

"In crafting Kapler's rich story, Hittner has skillfully interwoven fictional lovers and friends of Kapler with real events and people from the first half of the 20th century. Hittner has succeeded in creating a story that not only holds the reader's interest but may inspire further reading about some lesser-known real people and historical incidents."   -- Maine Antique Digest

"Hittner surpasses the brilliance of The Art Forger with his well-painted New York Depression era filled with characters larger than the canvases Henry Kapler painted them on.... Hittner encapsulates the heart and soul of art and love just as Henry captures the raw emotion of the women and situations surrounding him.... [E]xquisitely sketched characters and light shed on a historical time period.... A swift and intensive plot and intellectual read.... Rich in culture--from the arts and baseball to jazz and the New York lifestyle--Hittner weaves passions to create his own masterpiece. By far, Artist, Soldier, Lover, Muse is one of the best-written books that I have read this year. The ending is poetic and will stick with readers for a long time to come."  -- The Uncorked Librarian

About this edition

• Publisher: Apple Ridge Fine Arts
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 099898101X
• ISBN 13: 9780998981017
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 354