Author Description

For Arshile Gorky 1946 was an existential turning point, an annus horribilis and mirabilis combined. Two disasters struck in swift succession. In January his studio burnt to the ground destroying 27 of his paintings and in March he underwent a painful operation for rectal cancer. Nevertheless Gorky managed to devote the entire summer, spent at the home of his parents-in-law at Crooked Run Farm, Lincoln, Virginia, to drawing; completing 292. Many see these as the highlights of Gorky's portofolio of drawings, suggesting the tragedies inspired him to new heights.