Furthest Ecology

Furthest Ecology takes up the life and labor of Abbott Thayer, the prickly, irrepressible American painter and naturalist nicknamed "e;the father of camouflage."e; In 1896, Thayer discovered countershading, also known as "e;Thayer's Law,"e; the theory of animal coloration often credited for laying the groundwork for military camouflage in World War I. Fagin's poetry follows Thayer through "e;pure leafy space"e; ringing with "e;hypertelic / rhythms of a redpoll,"e; examining in lush, panoramic detail "e;the clairvoyance of the artist's attention."e; But this idyllic portrait unravels as Thayer's story proceeds. Grieving the death of his first wife and, later, cutting a frenzied path through wartime Europe, Thayer encounters darker forces, within and without. With spare beauty and sharp-edged syntax, Fagin conjures the painter's world: Loss, despair, obsession, ecstasy, and the aesthetic sublime. Furthest Ecology is a vivid and powerful debut that will haunt readers with its singular vision of artistic pursuit.