The Pelton Papers
This beautifully rendered biographical novel imagines the vibrant interior world of 20th-century artist Agnes Pelton. Forgotten after her death in 1961, Pelton is having a renaissance with a new show at the Whitney Museum and coverage in Vogue and The New York Times, but the brief biographies of the artist don’t come close to evoking the artist as Coates presents her.
Pelton grew up in a family that repressed tragedy, from a grandmother at the center of the infamous Beecher-Tilton scandal to a mother whose musical career halted for family. Pelton herself grew up under the shadow of being “sickly,” but art became an anchor and an escape. Quickly, her talent revealed itself and allowed Pelton the opportunity for schooling with some of the early 20th century’s most important artists and instructors.
In Coates’ hands, Pelton’s life – quiet, mostly interior, introspective – opens in key moments to allow the reader to experience what she might have. Writing about a visual medium is a skill not all authors possess, but Coates manages to articulate Pelton’s style in a manner that makes it easy to “see,” even if the reader might not be familiar with Pelton’s work. While Agnes Pelton might not have the notoriety or scandalous appeal of other public figures who get the biographical novel treatment, Coates makes apparent why Pelton’s story is meaningful, interesting, and worth experiencing.
