About Abstraction

    The absence of traditional subject matter was a primary issue for painters in mid-20th century America; it was also a problem for those struggling to understand modern art. Helen Harrison will discuss “The Subject Matter of the Artist: Writings by Robert Goodnough, 1950-1965,” on Oct. 19 at 2:30 p.m., at the East Hampton Library.

    Mr. Goodnough’s book, said to be the first scholarly work on the Abstract Expressionists, was edited by Ms. Harrison. It includes interviews with William Baziotes, Willem de Kooning, Adolph Gottlieb, Robert Motherwell, Barnett Newman, Jackson Pollock, and Mark Rothko.

    Ms. Harrison, director of the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center in Springs, is the author of the upcoming “Focus: Jackson Pollock” to be published by Phaidon Press.