New York simmers with heat and unrest as Wyeth, a painter, finds himself at an impasse in his own work. After attending a dubious show put on by a collective of careerist artists, he retreats to a bar in the West Village where he meets Keating, a former seminarian. Over the long summer, as the two get to know each another, they talk and argue about God, sex, and art. Meanwhile, at his job working for an art restorer, Wyeth begins to investigate the life and career of a forgotten, minor black artist. His search yields potential answers to questions that Wyeth is only now beginning to ask about what it means to be a black artist making black art amid the mess and beauty of life itself.
That Taylor achieves a similar verisimilitude [to Jeanne Dielman] with his new novel is no small feat ... Taylor ranks among our most gifted writers of gay sex ... Taylor’s command of the milieu is especially evident in the finesse of his dialogue ... Taylor’s most accomplished novel — a sustained, idiosyncratic portrait of an artist.
Taylor’s story this time around is that grappling with Black art and white eyes is the point ... It’s uncomfortable. Taylor looks his audience dead in the eye ... Instead of disputing with critics or ignoring critique outright, Taylor uses his third novel to invite the reader into the criticism itself. Minor Black Figures isn’t a counter, but rather, it’s a story of an artist’s attempt to find his way in the world ... A departure. There’s a vulnerability to the evolution of Wyeth and a willingness to let difficult questions go unanswered—but not to be discarded. He’ll keep asking them. The world will turn.
Captivating ... The brilliance here is in Taylor’s willingness, really his insistence, that we sit with Wyeth through both the mundane moments and the more thrilling times, as when he and Keating give in to their passions. What I most enjoyed while reading this book was the sense of connection and quietude in my mind as I read. Everything was deliberate, crafted with great care, and infused with life.
