Page 45 - Studio International - December 1967

Dionysian Bumpkinism is ugly.... Primitivism, irrational- that sounds a little existentialist or something.... I don't
ism, anti-intellectualism in art is ugly. The "cult of the have anything I want my students to do either, so they
ugly" is a rococo, romantic realist art idea. Anti-art as don't work like myself. If they have something to do they
pro-life is ugly. Collage, assemblage, junk and brute art have something to do, and then I help them do what
is ugly. Ugly geometric art is uglier than expressionist art. they're trying to do. But I have nothing to give them to do.
Mixture or integration of the separate different arts is ugly.
"Poetic" "musical" "sculptural" "mural" painting is ugly. A painter, a fine artist, makes a fine work of art. Fine
"Painterly" painting is ugly. "Imaginative", "vision- art—I'm willing to accept all the definitions of it and it's a
ary", "original", "natural" art is ugly. Making a graven pretty exclusive term, you know, it means the opposite of
image or any manner of likeness is ugly and an abomination useful, it means useless art. Fine art is obviously the
of Satan's works. Art confused with life, nature, society, opposite. Even in an art school you have a division
politics, religion, is ugly. Art as a thing to be used for between fine art and commercial art, between fine art and
some other end is ugly. Government sponsorship of art is industrial art. Now that's pretty exclusive. I'm willing to
ugly. Absence of government sponsorship of art is uglier. make the term as exclusive as one wants to be, so that at
Art in industry is as ugly as industry in art. The tricks of any rate a fine work of art is separated from anything
the art trade are ugly....Art as a great thing or a sure else and in the extreme statement it would be nothing but
thing is ugly; the age of accommodation in art is ugly.... art. Nothing else but art. So I suppose we are working
The signs of affluence in art are ugly; the signs of poverty here in ultimate terms. I certainly trisect the canvas to
in art are ugly. An ugly customer in art is not an ugly get away from posing or arranging, so I did once say that
duckling. When things take an ugly turn in art there's the I have a horizontal band that negates painters who work
devil to pay. "Why fight it?", "That's life", are ugly in vertical stripes as the vertical stripe negates horizontal
expressions. Consciencelessness and subconsciousness in band painters. But there is involved this notion where you
art are ugly'. And I finished by saying that artists are try to make a final statement and then the end is always
responsible for ugliness. a beginning.... In this sense there's a progress and aware-
ness in art, but there isn't any kind of accumulation of
I have a studio and it's absolutely separate from my knowledge that you have in other fields. So that you're
home and living. I took this room, one of my academic always at the beginning, you're always starting. In your
rooms, as a studio. A painting studio should be abso- studio you're always beginning and you're always trying
lutely separate from living and family and concubines, to make something that's finished. The beginning,
that's an old Chinese rule. Anyway, the studio is absolutely whether it's in time, or whether it's in your own lifetime,
separate and I go there all the time and I don't exactly or whether it's in your own working process, the begin-
keep office hours but almost, and there's nothing to do nings and ends are always there. So that when somebody
there. And this is a type of ritual that a painter has. I says, 'Well, where do you go from here or where do you go
guess first you sweep up and get ready. At any rate what from here?', I say, 'Well, where do you want to go?'
happens in the studio is what you do there finally. I know There's no place to go.... q

An interview with Ad Reinhardt desk area. Beyond were two sturdy, low, dark brown
benches near the front windowed wall. To my immediate
by Phyllisann Kallick left a three-quarter bed. Many paintings were stored in

This interview took place at the end of last year the neat, well-organized rear section of the loft. A few
during the exhibition of Ad Reinhardt's work at paintings were facing the wall opposite me. The floor
the Jewish Museum in New York. was painted a greyish colour, worn from shoe pressure....
`Were you satisfied with the Sunday review of your
Jewish Museum exhibit?'
`No, they sort of played me up as a comic cartoonist.
`Writers pick up what they want to write about. My
earliest work is on the third floor. Sam Hunter, the
I climbed two long flights of stairs, followed the arrow director of the Jewish Museum, wanted it to be a retro-
and knocked on the white door. The door opened and a spective. I wanted it to be an exhibit of my present work,
slightly bald, neatly dressed man looked at me, registering an absolute. But that's what he wanted.
mild surprise. I introduced myself. `Have you seen the exhibit ?'
`Oh. Come in.' He made a half gesture to shake hands. `Yes. I'm going to take my students on Monday. I'm
We were standing in the small foyer-type area off the curious to see their reactions.'
studio which contained a bathroom and a tiny kitchen. `I don't think it's significant if children like it....
Turning left I entered the studio. The long narrow loft Children can't react! It's just like showing a Matisse to
was rather empty. To my immediate right was a large the Eskimos. They can't appreciate it.'