John Ashbery, Paul Mellon Distinguished Fellow Lecture 1988

John Ashbery gives a reading of his poetry. He talks about the climate of art in America in the 1950s, and the ways in which it has caused his poetry to grow. Ashbery draws from art history, reflecting on how it has led to the construction of his poetry. Ashbery also talks about the restlessness he feels as an artist, and how the linearity of history is something that he sees as problematic as a writer. Humility is also at the core of Ashbery’s writing practice: Ashbery talks about living in a constant space of questioning his intelligence and notion of survival as an art critic and poet, and how not understanding something can be a great form of pleasure. It leads him to always operate in a space of constant learning.