Page 17 - Studio International - October 1965
P. 17

Editorial






                                   How  far  is  painting  an  expression  of  personality 7  In   seems less of a person in depth than  Rembrandt.
                                   this  modern  age  when.  despite  the  fall  of  Stalinism.   Personality  in  a  painte:.  as  is to  be  expected.  has  its
                                   personality  is  a  cult that  has  its  adherents  in  business.   dangers  especially  if  it  is  one  capable  of  deriving  an
                                   industry,  education as well in the more obvious sectors   influence  from  another  and  lacking  the  strength  to
                                   of  politics  and entertainment.  it  is  sure that in painting   establish  its  own  power.  Samuel  Palmer.  to  be  sure.
                                   too  it  is  a  distinct  ingredient  that  is  plain  to see if not   in  his  'Visionary  years·  in  the  Shoreham  Valley  had
                                   in  individual  pieces  at  least  in  sequences of canvases.   character  beyond  the  ordinary,  apparent  in  the  shim­
                                   Picasso is the example par excellence yet his personality   mering  little  landscapes  of  wheatfields  and  woods  in
                                   was  never  too  patently  apparent  in  the  canvases  that   the  pleasant  Kentish  landscape  but  he  lacked  the
                                   preceded  his  classic  phase  of  the  1920s  after  his   stamina  to  sustain  the  poetic  mood  on  that  idyllic
                                   rejection of or tiring with analytical cubism. Artists when   level.  unlike  his  mentor  William  Blake  who  carried
                                   they  are  working in  a common style or fashion are apt   through  schemes  of  illustrations  and  texts  for  books
                                   to  have  their  identities  submerged  to  the  purpose  that   that  would  have  discouraged  weaker  men.
                                   concerns  them  along  with  others.  You  can  regard  a   Coming  to  our  own  times.  Augustus  John  was  a
                                   group  of early cubist painting by  Picasso.  Braque.  Gris   painter  who  could  almost  always  be  expected  to
                                   and  Marcoussis  and.  devoid  of  hindsight.  cannot   invoke  the  word  'bravura·  in  any  discussion  of  his
                                   determine easily who is the artist possessing the greater   work  and  in  the  canvases  that  were  capable  of  being
                                   personality.  Yet  though  Picasso  has  emerged  in   finished  fairly quickly there is no  lack  of  specimens  of
                                   history  as  the  performer  with  unlimited  roles  in  his   both  painterly  prowess  and  a  handwriting  indicative
                                   repertoire it is in  his individual paintings such  as those   of the Welsh artist's attractive and enlarging personality.
                                   of  Dora  Maar with  eyes painted in profile and frontally   But  in  the  more  ambitious  projects.  personality  was
                                   that  his  personality  becomes  strongest.       not  invariably  capable  of  sustaining  the  energetic
                                    Yet  it  is  not  always  in  the  figurative  idiom  that   deployment   of   the   characters   throughout   the
                                   personality  is  most  dominant.  Piet  Mondrian·s  identity   composition.  In  sculpture.  Epstein  was  a  personality
                                   is capable of making itself felt even though his abstract   who  impressed  it  in  nearly  everything  he  attempted
                                   design  seems anonymous.  It  is not.  of course.  and it is   even  in  the  Rock  Drill.  that  prophetic  and  dynamic
                                   interesting  to  determine  why.  Despite  its  apparent   sculpture  in the  Tate  Gallery  that  marked  the  moment
                                   mathematical basis. the structure in a Mondrian painting   of  real  non-acceptance  in  his  career.  In  the  later
                                   has its very definite traces of a character that is  definite   portraits the mark of  Epstein is ever present and in the
                                   and strong in its control of a large colour area bounded   greatest of his figures  The Madonna on the wall of the
                                   by  black  dividing  lines  that  separate  it  from  other   convent  in  Cavendish  Square.  he  him:,elf  could  say
                                   areas  of  colour  also  carefully  weighed  in  proportion   that the hand of  God was upon him when  he made it.
                                   and  space.  In  its  own  manner  the  Mondrian  is  as   Francis  Bacon's  paintings  are  the  imprint  of  a
                                   forceful  and  dramatic  as.  say,  one  of  the  versions  of   personality  as  distinctive  as  a  print  from  his  thumb.
                                   the  Woman  paintings  by  Willem  de  Kooning.   The  turbulent  imagery  is  not  descriptive  of  external
                                    Vincent van  Gogh.  viewed against the background of   observation  but  of  an  interior  drama  of  which  we
                                   his  short  and  belated  creative  period.  is  sometimes   receive  the  record.  Bacon.  in  fact.  is  all  personality
                                   judged as a personality that had become enamoured of   with  little  of  what  is  visual  common  ground  with  the
                                   itself  and  violent  excesses.  Yet  this  view  is  entirely   rest  of  the  world.
                                   mistaken. Anyone who has read the letters of van Gogh   Personality  is  what  distinguishes  one  person  from
                                   must  be  conscious  of  the  capacity  of  thought  that   another;  it  makes  itself  felt  as  much  in  paint  as  in
                                   lay  behind  every  canvas  painted  by  the  Dutchman.   conversation.  It  survives  into  a  phase  that  is  driving
                                   some  in  several  versions  that  betokened  not  a   art  into  the  dehumanised  zone  of  electronic  exercise;
                                   narcissistic urge to express his self-love in paint but an   the  mind  and  the  character  of  the  creative  man  is
                                   attempt to complete on  canvas a  work  that  would  be   obscured  by  his  inventions.  Lacking  them  is  to  have
                                   conclusive of the ideas that motivated him.  In the  later   lost a greatest communicable factor in  art.  Personality,
                                   paintings of St.  Remy and Auvers. the signs of derange­  as we can detect it. is valuable. warming and unifying.■
                                   ment are there and a frenzy in execution is explicit but
                                   this is  scarcely  to  be  construed  as  personality's  hand­
                                   writing.  Artists  who  have  been  primarily  concerned
                                   with methods of seeing and communicating their vision
                                   by  specific  means  have  usually  been  at  pains  to
                                   submerge  their  egos  so  that  the  overall  scheme  in  its
                                   full working operation  can  produce  its  desired  effect.
                                    Personality  can  be  seen  even  when  individuality  is
                                   lacking  as.  for  example.  when  we  compare  Rubens
                                   with  Jordaens.  Though  the  latter's paint is  sometimes
                                   indistinguishable  from  his  master's  there  can  be  little
                                   doubt  who  was  the  author  of  The  Chapeau  de  Paille
                                   in  the  National  Gallery.  Similarly,  though  the  frequent
                                   discovery  of so-called  Rembrandts  is  a  recognition  of
                                   how like him superficially were some of his seventeenth­
                                   century  Dutch  contemporaries.  the  autographical
                                   quality  in  A  Woman  bathing.  also  in  the  National
                                   Gallery,  is  unmistakable.  Frans  Hals.  by  comparison.
                                   though  he  heightened  the  personalities  of  his  sitters
           Studio  International
           Volume  CLXX  No.  870   in  a  flamboyant  and  particular  richness.  as  in  the
           October,  1965          famous  Laughing  Cavalier  in  the  Wallace  Collection.
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