Page 50 - Studio International - December1996

Pragmatists and theoreticians

A good way of classifying the artists I want to talk about with the theorems on the blackboard, unaccompanied
this month is to divide them into two groups—pragma- by the lecture which they were supposed to illustrate. I
tists and theoreticians. On the whole, the theoreticians confess I find Bill's sculpture a great deal more interesting
have it. At the ROBERT FRASER GALLERY, for instance, than his paintings, where the complicated play of
there was Richard Hamilton's recent assault on Frank colours in squares never seems to add up to any very
Lloyd Wright— The Solomon R. Guggenheim. Fibreglass satisfactory aesthetic result.
reliefs, all taken from the same mould but in each case This is not, however, to underrate Bill's importance as a
differently coloured, make fun of Wright's concern with figure on the international scene. At the AXIOM GALLERY,
the individual, the unique. The show was 'learned Pop', to choose a case in point, the American sculptor Charles
a category which also fits the work of R. B. Kitaj. By Perry is showing work which seems closely related to
which I mean to say that Hamilton takes the standard Bill. One piece, in white marble, carved in an intricately
Pop attitudes (as well as the standard romantic assump- symmetrical pierced design, derives directly from the
tions of Wright's architecture) and subjects them to work which Bill was showing more than ten years ago.
ironic scrutiny. I don't know if Hamilton is a member of Perry, too, has a background which hints at intellectual
the Institute of Pataphysics, but if he isn't he ought to be. concerns which go well beyond painting and sculpture.
Theory without irony is at work in the Max Bill exhibi- After studying art for a year at Columbia University, he
tion at the HANOVER GALLERY. Bill is an extremely went on to the University of California to study mathe-
interesting figure—painting and sculpture form only a matics and physics. He then took a degree in architecture
part of his activity, and one is aware, I think, that the at Yale, and went on to work for Skidmore, Owings and
show is a bit cryptic because it presents only a small Merrill. His work has a natural elegance, a cool clarity
fraction of the things which the artist has to tell us. There of form, and is not afraid of natural references.
are moments, indeed, when it is a bit like being presented Theoretical in a rather more English way is the work of

Quintet from 'The Trojans',
watercolour and gouache,
23 x 37 in., one of the works
in a Robin Ironside
retrospective at the New Art
centre—to December 31.
Robin Ironside, who died in
1965, was best known as an
art historian and critic, and
secured little recognition
as a painter during his
lifetime. 'Although we
remained close friends',
writes Sir John Rothenstein
in the catalogue introduction,
'I was astonished to
discover, after his death,
how extensive was his
production of paintings',
and suggests affinities
between lronside's work
and that of Balthus and
Ernst.