Page 13 - Studio International - September 1966

spirit, fails to add anything to our nothing. It is entirely natural that when (maximum being 20) to each artist under
knowledge of Dali as a person that the one does not believe in anything one ends the following headings: Technique,
'Secret Life' has left unsaid. Apart from some by painting nothing, which is the case in Inspiration, Colour, Subject, Genius,
witty anecdotes, and detailed descriptions all modern painting, including abstract, Composition, Originality, Mystery,
of bodily functions, reflections on such aesthetic, academic painting, with the Authenticity. Averages work out as follows:
themes as the painful crack at the single exception of a group of American Leonardo da Vinci, —17.3; Meisonnier
corner of his mouth caused by ecstatic painters in New York who, through lack of —5.2; Ingres —9.5; Velasquez —19.2;
salivations, the most significant role of tradition and because of an instinctive Bouguereau —3.2; Dali —16.4; Picasso
this book is the exposition of Dali's paroxysm, are very close to a new —11.8; Raphael —19.5; Manet —4.1;
position vis-a-vis other artists and pre-mystic faith that will take form when Vermeer —19.9; Mondrian —0.5.
contemporary art generally. the world is finally conscious of the latest The chart speaks for itself. Until Dali
In 1940 when asked by a journalist to progress of nuclear science. In France, at reaches those heights to which he aspires,
define surrealism Dali's unhesitating reply the pole diametrically opposed to that of the important dead watch over the
was: 'I am surrealism.' In the early the New York school, I can find only one fulfilment of his work and he continues his
fifties Dali launched another 'one-man' example to give you, and that is my friend, personal and particular relations with the
movement invented by him: 'nuclear the painter Georges Mathieu, who, angels.
mysticism'— totally unwilling to admit because of his monarchic and cosmogonic
the existence of the Italian group arte atavisms, has adopted an attitude that is *Surrealism by Patrick Waldberg, Thames
nucleare, who showed at Galleria Schwarz completely contrary to the academism of & Hudson, London, 1966.
and who worked in the idiom of action modern painting.' * *Diary of a Genius by Salvador Dali,
painting. In 1956 Dali launched 'bulletism' His disapproval of abstraction assumes a Hutchinson, London, 1966.
which involved firing bullets, fitted with very succinct form—the entry for July 29,
lithographic ink, against a stone—a 1952 reads:
venture encouraged and inspired by less than a fart
}
Georges Mathieu, whose work Dali has more than a flea of genius Piet
always held in high regard. A footnote explains that this is a painter
Since 1960, Dali, whose film activities that Dali has been using as his scapegoat
had hitherto been limited to his for years.
collaboration with Bunuel, made a project Dali also expresses the opinion that the
for a film entitled The Flesh Wheelbarrow— monetary value of abstract art would also
a fetishist dream and a sequence of become abstract. He talks about the
disconnected events during the course of gradation in the misery of non-figurative
which a woman falls in love with a painting starting with abstract art,
wheelbarrow that carried the corpse of followed by the abstract painter, the
her beloved and which finally turns into admirer, and finally the most sinister of all,
flesh as his reincarnation. Dali had also the critic of abstract painting—the expert.
turned his attention to vast Happenings, Discussing Kandinsky, Dali claims that
his own variety being called 'orgies of there can never be a Russian painter,
information' and cybernetic festivities to although he might have made some
the sound of the killing of 558 pigs and excellent cloisonné enamel cane heads.
the noise of 300 motorcycles. Pollock is described as the romantic of
What, however, is far more significant festivities and fireworks—'He is not so bad
amongst Dali's revelations is his fundamental as Turner. Because he is even more of a
attitude to art generally. nobody.'
Towards the end of 1955 Dali gave a What is crucial to the understanding of
lecture at the Sorbonne during which he Dalinian art hierarchy is the chart at the
made a number of shattering Dalinian end of the book : 'Comparative table of
statements to the accompaniment of values according to a Dalinian analysis.'
thunderous applause, such as: It deals with eleven artists of whom Dali
'Today, young modern painters believe in himself is one. He allocates points

Dore Ashton, the American writer and critic, is a Elisabeth Novick, who has worked as a graphic de-, Corrections Summer working schedules, staff holi-
regular contributor to Studio International. signer now concentrates on photography. She has days, and pages printed without final corrections
been very closely associated with those artists, musi- having been taken, can all make a lot of trouble for a
Norbert Lynton, head of the school of art history at cians and writers in New York who have been con- magazine. Unfortunately these are only reasons, not
Chelsea College of Art, is art critic of The Guardian, cerned with Happenings. excuses. We therefore apologize for the following
and contributes to Art International, Cimaise, Quadrum, errors in our August issue; the misspelling of Mr
and other journals. He is publishing a book entitled Book reviewers in this issue are Michael Ayrton the Alexander Liberman's name in credits to illustrations
Survey of 19th and 20th Century Art later this year. sculptor; Dr Anita Brookner, who lectures at the of David Smith's sculptures; the statement that Gene
Courtauld Institute; and Anthony Gross, the painter, Baro 'was with David Smith on the night he wasfatally
Victor Willing, the painter, lectures at Chelsea School and etcher. injured'—Mr Baro was, in fact, travelling in Italy at the
of Art. He is also director of an electronics factory in time and learned of Smith's death through a letter;
Lisbon. George Savage, a member of the council of the the printing on its side of a colour reproduction of
British Antique Dealers' Association, has written John Plumb's painting Red 4.
Charles S. Spencer writes on art for several journals extensively on art and antiques.
and reports on art in Britain for the New York Times.