Page 29 - Studio International - January 1965
P. 29

z
                                  __
                                   3
                                                                                     important  of  the  young  Americans.  Discarding  the
                                                                                     literary  elements,  Bruning  absorbed  a  principle  of
                                                                                     composition  and of serial  space.  In place of variations
                                                                                     on  a  Form,  itself  continuous,  in  recent  work  his  ele­
                                                                                     ments are separate. They are no longer integrated with
                                                                                     the picture-plane through the  Negative  Forms.  Instead
                                                                                     they are pushed forward from the surfaces. The increase
                                                                                     in the power and  concentration  is  quite  unmistakable.
                                                                                     The third of the former Dusseldorf group, Gerhard Wind.
                                                                                     was  shown  at  the  Kunstverein  for  the  Rhineland  and
                                                                                     Westphalia.  Wind is an  unrepentant  geometric  painter.
                                                                                     But his  work  does not come.  like  Pasmore's  say,  from
                                                                                    a  provincial  misunderstanding  of  the  Constructivists.
                                                                                     It is based on great sensitivity to the specific weight of
                                                                                     colour.  With  this  goes  a  linear  principle.  the  slipped
                                                                                     diagonal.  By  means  of  these  two,  Wind  juggles  the
                                                                                    static world of plane geometry into a three-dimensional
                                                                                    movement.  The  work  is  puritanically  abstract.  but
                                                                                    what  comes  out  is certainly  tl<le  best  interpretation  of
                                                                                    the  modern  technological-industrial  world  that  I  have
                                                                                    seen.  Unfortunately  I  must  add  that  the  last  year  has
                                                                                    brought  a  question  mark.  In  recent  work  the  colour
                                                                                    loses  weight  and  then  at  once  the  painting  becomes
                                                                                    decoration.  One  hopes  the  lapse  is  momentary.
                                                                                     While these younger painters were having their retro­
                                                                                    spectives,  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  generation  in  its
                                                                                    fifties  has  been  showing  his  new  wo1·k  at the  Galerie
                                                                                    der Spiegel in Cologne.  Hann Trier is  an  informe/ with
                                                                                    a  big  difference.  He  has  never  accepted  the  total
                                                                                    diffusion. the large reliance on chance and the structure
                                                                                    of material, from which a  Hoehme lives. With his quiet,
                                                                                    vivid  colour  sense  and  figuration  skirting  along  in
                                                                                    between  abstraction  and  the  object  he  is  a  real
                                                                                    Abstract  Impressionist.  in  the sense in  which the  term
                                                                                    is used in the  United States. Trier is known for working
                                                                                    with  two  brushes  and  both  hands  and  with  his  usual
                                                                                    irony he sometimes refers to his 'knitting.·  Surprisingly,
                                                                                    in  his  new  work  this  'knitting'  stroke  is  gone.  The
                                                                                    rhythms too have strengthened.  A wind blows through
                                                                                    the  compositions.  Instead  of  thinking  of  Monet  one
                                                                                    suddenly  had  associations  with  Tiepolo.
                                                                                     Artists in  Germany as elsewhere are feeling their way
                                                                                    towards a new Figuration which. as Eduard Jaguier has
                                                                                    remarked.  will  be  the  first  for  forty  years.  One  of  the
                                                                                    most  patient  and  most  perceptive  on  this  trail  is
                                                                                    Johannes Gecelli. Another of the  Dusseldorf harvest of
                                                                                    the later fifties, though not a member of the Gruppe 53.
                                                                                    Geccelli lives in Mulheim on the Ruhr. He was showing
                                                                                    this autumn at the  Kunstverein in Oldenburg.  Geccelli's
                                                                                    first  influence  as  a  student  was  Cezanne·s  water­
                                                                                    colours,  his  last  Giacometti.  His  preoccupation  is
                                                                                    with the space round his  chairs.  still-lifes  and  nudes.
                                                                                    In realizing this. the solid forms will almost melt away.
                                                                                    Swallowed  in  space.  dissolved  in  modulation,  the
                                                                                    object returns  as  a  vision  of  itself.  with  a  compulsive.
                                                                                    almost a mesmeric quality. In a period of 'ugly' painting,
                                                                                    Geccelli's  works  both  in  colour  and  paint  quality  are
                                                                                    very beautiful. Older but less well known is Hans Helfer.
                                                                                    also a product of the  Dusseldorf Academy, who had an
                                                                                    autumn  showing  at  the  Kuppers  Gallery  in  Cologne.
                                                                                    Helfer  works  only  from  the  model,  usually  the  head.
                                                                                    What  interests  him  is  the  rhythm  of  proportions  and
                                                                                    relationships. When he has finished. the head itself has
                                                                                    virtually disappeared. After a long period of black-and­
                                                                                    white, it seems from this show that he has worked out
                                                                                    the  colours  and  the  combinations  that  will  'travel';  if
                                                                                    for the moment only in watercolour. The special interest
                                                                                    of both these painters seems to me that they see  Man
                                                                                                                                  17
   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34