Did you know some of the 20th century's finest writers were also painters? It is not unusual for writing and art to go hand-in-hand, but these authors are primarily known for their skills with a pen, or typewriter, rather than a paint brush. The abstract art movement was clearly influential on many of these writers whose work emerged from numerous counter-cultures and the turmoil of two world wars. Several of these writers produced thousands of paintings in their lifetime, while other dabbled in watercolor and oil between books. Could they have carved out careers as artists? You decide.
Jack Kerouac
Herman Hesse
Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1946, German author Herman Hesse is best known as a novelist with Steppenwolf and Siddhartha among his most famous works. Hesse began to paint after the trauma of World War I and the subsequent collapse of his marriage. Self-taught, Hesse painted landscapes with rich colors and soft lights. His paintings often depict scenes around Ticino in Switzerland where he settled in 1919. Priced at $9,872, this watercolor from 1933 is a typical Swiss scene of mountains, lake and village.
Herman Hesse - Ticino in Switzerland
Herman Hesse
This second watercolor by Hesse shows a group of houses in Ticino surrounded by the mountains of Switzerland. Another example of the author's art from the period around 1933.
Herman Hesse - A group of houses in Ticino mountains of Switzerland
Günter Grass
Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1999, Günter Grass, who died in 2015, was a highly versatile man, writing books, poetry and plays. However, he also trained as a stonemason, and studied sculpture and graphics. This image of a typewriter is an example of a Grass watercolor featured in a Steidl book of his art and poetry, priced at $901. The Limited Editions Club edition of The Flounder by Grass also contains etchings by him. Grass famously illustrated the cover for Die Blechtrommel (The Tin Drum), one of German's most important post-World War II novels.
Gunter Grass - Typewriter
Charles Bukowski
This original acrylic painting on paper by Bukowski, probably from the 1980s, features a bird behind a wire mesh. The author and poet attended Los Angeles City College as a young man where he took courses in art, journalism, and literature. Eventually he fell into working at a post office - an occupation he detested. Bukowski produced more than a thousand paintings using various mediums, and most were sent to Black Sparrow Press, who published them in Bukowski's books. Priced at $4,500.
Charles Bukowski - bird caged behind wire mesh
Henry Miller
Famous for writing Tropic of Cancer and having his work banned multiple times, Miller painted several thousand watercolors, and one of his five wives, Eve McClure, was an artist. In 1945, Miller wrote a book called Why Abstract? on modern art with Hilaire Hiler and William Saroyan. This watercolor painting, from 1941 priced at $10,000, was given by Miller to Wallace Fowlie, a friend and translator.
Henry Miller - Neptune Entering Libra
Henry Miller
This untitled abstract watercolor from 1967 is signed and dated by the author. Look carefully, the image appears to show a human, perhaps Miller himself, looking on while a couple of animals copulate. Price is $7,500.
Henry Miller - Untitled original watercolor
William S Burroughs
Always remembered for his post-modern writing, the author of Naked Lunch and Junkie produced numerous pieces of art, including photography. Burroughs was heavily influenced by artist Brion Gysin and also developed a bizarre splatter paint method involving spray cans and a gun. This original Burroughs painting was part of the Seven Deadly Sins exhibition at The Writer's Place, Kansas City, Missouri, in 1993. Acrylic and spray paint on poster board: a gold triangle and heart spray-painted against a background acrylic image of black, blue and gray. Priced at $7,500, it is signed by Burroughs.
William S. Burroughs - The Golden Triangle
ee cummings
ee cummings
This oil on canvas, titled 'Mount Chocorua With Long Cloud', is another example of cummings' ability to capture dramatic landscapes with some flare. Mount Chocorua is located in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. cummings loved New Hampshire - his summer home was the wonderfully named Joy Farm in Silver Lake, New Hampshire. Priced at $5,000.
ee cummings - Mount Chocorua With Long Cloud
Tennessee Williams
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Did any of these authors have talent as painters?
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