Page 19 - Studio International - October 1965
P. 19

With  a  sense of  fitness not always apparent in South
                                                                                     America.  Sao  Paulo  is  the  city  that  holds  the  most
                                                                                     important international exhibition of the plastic arts on
                                                                                     the  western  side  of  the  Atlantic.  Fitting  because.
                                                                                     although Brazil was the earliest European colony in the
                                                                                     two continents.  its  emergence into the modern tempo
                                                                                     of  civilisation  has  been  much  later  than  that  of  the
                                                                                     United  States.  And  Sao  Paulo.  now  the  fastest  and
                                                                                     tallest growing city in the world. is the perfect place to
                                                                                     hold  the  Bienal.
                                                                                      Eleven years ago the city arrived at its fourth centenary
                                                                                     and the famous  Brazilian architect.  Niemeyer. designed
                                                                                     a  pavilion  for  the  special  exhibitions  in  the  spacious
                                                                                     park of lpirapuera. In this long rectangular building with
                                                                                     its sculptural interior ramps joining its three floors.  the
                                                                                     Bienal.  now  1n  its  eighth  occasion.  is  housed.
                                                                                     Originating spirit. still actively directing operations with
                                                                                     unique warmth and generosity is  Francisco  Matarazzo
                                                                                     (Sobrinho; the nephew) known to his friends as 'Cicilo'.
                                                                                      This year's event was of a bigness and brightness that
                                                                                     compared favourably with  its  Mediterranean rival.  the
                                                                                     Venice  Biennale.  Even its climatic condition was com­
                                                                                     parable.  although  one  missed the  perfumed breathing
                                                                                     spaces in the  Giardini between the samplings of each
                                                                                     national  contribution.  The  grand  Sao  Bienal  prize
                                                                                     foundered on the nine-tenths majority requirement and
                                                                                     in the event it was given equally to Vasarely of  France
                                                                                     and Alberto  Burri of  Italy,  a  compromise  decision  that
                                                                                     nevertheless  acknowledged  the  unique  attributes  of
                                                                                     each.  It  also  indicated  the  major  conflict  apparent
                                                                                     throughout the Bienal; the formal and the informal with
                                                                                     a  weighting  in  favour  of  the  latter.  even  when  it
                                                                                     branched into figuration with or without pop variations.
                                                                                      Optical art in its present flood of successes in  Britain
                                                                                     and elsewhere relied on Vasarely for its great stimulus
                                                                                     and even in his more than two score works one became
                                                                                     aware of the mechanical variations concentrated on the
                                                                                     agitation of a plane as large as could be thought of by
                                                                                     the juxtaposition of cut-out profiles that matched or con­
                                                                                     flicted with their neighbours.  Jean  Messagier.  against
                                                                                     Vasarely's formalism in the  French pavilion. allowed his
                                   Bruno  Goller,  Germany                           paint  surfaces  to  suggest  the  movements  of  smoke
                                   Two  Women  1963  160  x  130 cm.                 clouds in brown obscurities.
                                                                                      Burri  in  this  sub-tropical  ambience  with  palms  and
                                   Magdalena Abakanowicz,  Poland
                                   Helena  1965 Tapestry                             banana trees growing only yards away set a paradoxical
                                                                                     standard  in  his  'plastics·.  Those  coloured  in  vermilion
                                                                                     and black overcame the obvious nature of their material
                                                                                     to create their own identity as of a symbolic blood bath.
                                                                                     Others  retaining  some  of  their  original  transparency
                                                                                     raised the inevitable query: what are we looking at-the
                                                                                     product or the wrapping 7 The smooth reflection and the
                                                                                     tragic charring of Large Black took on a character more
                                                                                     intrinsically  beautiful.
                                                                                      Kumi Sugai of Japan taking the best foreign painting
                                                                                     prize was the exposer of a principle for which biennials
                                                                                     are grateful; the painting shall be of a size that will make
                                                                                     its  maximum  effect on the  scale and at the range the
                                                                                     physical conditions require.  This the Japanese painter
                                                                                     conceived  and  executed with  an  integration  that was
                                                                                     impressive both for the operative curves and placing of
                                                                                     his central motive also for the height of his colour key in
                                                                                     ample  contrast  to the backgrounds.  Also  working in a
                                                                                     scale that allowed effectiveness to his large cruciform
                                                                                     crypto-images  was  Teruo  Onuma.
                                                                                      Composition of the national pavilions gave a piquant
                                                                                     twist to the whole first floor.  Great  Britain with tradi­
                                                                                     tional  restraint  confined  her  representatives  to  two:
                                                                                     Victor  Pasmore  and  Patrick  Heron.  By its  economy  of
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