OVERVIEW

Much discussion of John Ashbery’s work probes the context in which it exists in order to better understand its meaning and significance.  Indeed, the engagement of Ashbery’s work with other art forms encourages speculation about its origins and the forces that shape it.  While such conjecture often can be productive, Ashbery himself has identified many artists and works from across the cultural spectrum that have influenced or been of particular interest to him.

As a step towards mapping Ashbery’s cultural landscape, the Ashbery Resource Center (ARC) has begun to compile lists of artists and works specifically cited by Ashbery in interviews and other published remarks.  The lists, accessible through the menu buttons on the left, include writers, texts, composers, musicians, compositions, visual artists, artworks, film and theater directors, actors, movies, cartoons, stage performances, characters, et al.  Acknowledged connections between Ashbery’s own work and these artists and their works are specified; pop-up links to selected online resources for cited artists and works (as available) allow quick assessment of the possible significance of such relationships.

Although these lists still are in a rudimentary state of development (being intended originally for ARC’s internal use), several researchers who found them interesting and useful suggested that we present them here, as a project-in-progress, so that the information would be available to a wider audience.

[NOTE TO SELVES—still needs METHODOLOGY from ORIGINAL INTRO doc in shared folder INFLUENCES & INTERESTS]

[From INDEX doc:]

John Ashbery’s life-long involvement with a variety of art forms is, not surprisingly, reflected in his work. Much of the critical discussion of Ashbery’s work acknowledges such interrelationships, and probes the cultural context of the work in order to better understand its significance. While conjecture about the origins of his work and the forces that shape it can be productive, Ashbery himself has identified many artists and their works across a broad cultural spectrum that have influenced or been of particular interest to him.

As a step toward mapping Ashbery’s cultural landscape, the Ashbery Resource Center (ARC) has begun to compile lists of artists and works cited by Ashbery in interviews and other published remarks. While some of the references are general in nature, in the many cases where Ashbery has acknowledged specific connections between his own work and these artists and their works, these citations are so identified. The lists, accessible through the menu buttons on the left, include writers, texts, composers, musicians, compositions, visual artists, artworks, film and theater directors, actors, movies, cartoons, stage performances, characters, et al. Pop-up links to selected online resources for cited artists and works (as available) allow for quick assessment of the possible significance of such relationships.

Although these lists still are in a rudimentary state of development (having being intended originally for ARC’s internal use), several researchers who found them both interesting and useful suggested that we present them here, as a project-in-progress, so that the information would be available to a wider audience. However, to avoid drawing unwarranted conclusions that could be reached by using material out of context, please read the statement of methodology for a better understanding of what these lists are, and what they are not. Click here for a complete list of sources for the references cited in the index.



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