Page 19 - Studio International - November 1965
P. 19

3  British  artists in  New  York





                                                                                    Allen  Jones photographed  by Tony  Evans



























































                                 and dirndl skirts and burned-out buildings and  Euston   pop  imagery  but  whenever there  is  a  movement  or a
                                  Road  on  a  gray  Saturday  night.  You  could  enjoy   manifestation of any sort going  on there will always be
                                  Piccadilly  Circus  and  Charing  Cross  Road  and  the   someone who will be looking around to find the father
                                  popular  films  one  enjoyed.  They  got  away  from  the   of it, and he usually turns out to be somebody who was
                                 'kitchen  sink'  school  subject  matter  and  before  that,   working  in  obscurity.  Although  an  artist  may  work  in
                                  the work of  people like  Robert Colquhoun and  Robert   obscurity and then find his point of view confirmed in
                                  Macbryde with their portrayals of romantic decay.   the emergence of some current  movement,  I also think
                                 Jones  They were  the  first  British  painters  I remember   such  an  artist  improves  his  position  because  of  the
                                 when  I was first at art school. They were two Scotsmen   impact  of  the  people  who  come  after  him,  even  if  his
                                 and  they  painted  Picasso  type  still-lifes  with  severed   work  does  not  deserve  the  extra  attention.  So  I  don't
                                 sheep  heads  and  skulls,  so  that  the  subject  matter  as   think  chronology  is  as  important  to  the  current  style
                                 well as their execution  was  second-hand.  The painter   as it is to the artist who wasn't known until  some idea
                                 they were influenced by was  Janke! Adler.  It's interest­  he  employed  came  into  wide  usage.  And  I  don't
                                 ing how the big man in this group was in fact a minor   believe that an older painting is made any better because
                                 painter.  At  a  posthumous  show  of  his  work  at  some   it has fragments of something which is happening now.
                                 little gallery around  Marble Arch not too long ago,  the   Glaser Why is pop art so strong in England, in any case?
                                 attendance  was  remarkable  small.  It  was  a  nice  show   In relation to this I was struck by a comment of Annette
                                 because you sort of felt his seriousness, but these other   Michelson's that appeared in  one of  her articles in Art
                                 two characters,  I believe, capitalized out of the style.   International,  where  she  said  that  she  felt  pop  art
                                 Glaser To get back to the influence of the  ICA would   comes  only  from  affluent  societies,  where  there  are
                                 you say that the imagery of pop art had its roots in the   signs  of  satiety  and  waste,  and  she  specifically  cited
                                 ideas  and  the  exhibitions  of  this  group?  Is there any­  the  fact  there is no pop art coming from  Spain,  where
                                 thing  to  the claim  that  British artists invented pop art?   there  is  clearly  nothing  like  the  affluence  of  England.
                                 Jones  I  think the  ICA was responsible for some of the   Is  there  a  link  between  the  situation  in  post-war
                                                                                                                                  181
   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24