A Trove of Original Correspondences from the American Realist Painter Fairfield Porter (1907-1975) by -

Very Good +. An archive of 10 personal letters from Fairfield Porter to his close friend and former lover Carl Morse (whose portrait Fairfield painted in 1961). Also included in the archive are 2 letters from Fairfield's widow Anne Porter to Carl Morse; 2 letters from Fairfield's confidante and constant companion James Schuyler to Carl Morse; and an extensive paper trail between Carl Morse and the legendary Tibor de Nagy Gallery over the sale of Fairfield's portrait of Carl. Carl Morse (1935-2008) was a New York poet, playwright and prominent Gay activist who held court for decades at the London Terrace in New York's Chelsea neighborhood. He was very active in the downtown poetry and art scenes of the 70s and 80s and was on the forefront of radical Gay politics of the period. Fairfield Porter's 10 letters to Carl were written between 1960-1970 (all but 1 in the very early 60s) and most were written from the Porter home in Southampton, NY (several were also written from Amherst, MA, where he taught painting at Amherst College, and from Great Spruce Head Island, Maine). The letters are long and thoughtful and intimate. There's a good deal of musing on poetry and art and Fairfield discusses with Carl some of the people he's reading at the moment, including Robert Lowell, and also shares his thoughts on teaching painting. 7 of the letters are typed, 3 are handwritten in a clear, very legible script. 6 of the letters have their original postmarked envelopes and all of the letters include xeroxed duplicates or triplicates (or more) that Carl decided to include with the originals. Attached to one of the letters is a 1 pg. typescript (the actual manuscript?) of James Schuyler's translation of Dante's "Sestina to Pietra". An uncommon, dense collection, shedding light on Fairfield Porter's approach to creativitiy and friendship.