Page 57 - Studio International - January 1967

tachist compositions which contribute, so the catalogue The problem is to ensure that their education helps them
told us, to 'creating a better social climate'. It is impor- to reach the same cultural level as their managers. There
tant to 'appeal to the sensitivity of the worker' and 'lend will then be no need to pursue them in the factory. They
greater humanity to the dull working surroundings'. It is will be able to discover the spirit of their age in art with-
pleasing to think that Mr Ozlow's workmen can look up out being forced to do so. Art requires a cultural back-
from the millions of cigarettes they pack so neatly and ground to be understood. A recent sociological survey
gaze at a gigantic Saura, Crippa, or Coetzee. A few years published by Editions de Minuit under the title 'The
ago a similar experiment was tried at the Renault Love of Art—Museums and their Visitors' analyses, on the
factory: Impressionist paintings were hung in the can- basis of statistics, the types of people who visit museums,
teen and the attitude of mechanics and metal workers and shows that artistic 'consumption' is directly related
towards these masterpieces was noted as they ate their to the level of education and restricted almost exclusively
soup. These experiments seem to be based on the prin- to those who have been to secondary schools and institu-
ciple that workmen are underprivileged beings not yet tions of higher education. We cannot expect miracles :
touched by the grace of art and needing to be forced to every work of art is the product of historical development
appreciate art at their work place. (In 'Modern Times' and can only be understood through this development. It
Chaplin did not realize his workmen would not only have is no use spending one's life in front of a work by Kan-
to man the production lines but also at the same time dinsky or Pollock if one cannot recognize the general
make up their minds about works by Hantai, Lucebert or meaning of the work and its origin in the period in which
Lataster.) it was created. When the whole population has an equal
The problem, however, is not one of confronting work- opportunity to follow all courses of education we shall
men with paintings—be they good or merely indifferent. have true lovers of art. q

Gorin
Composition spatio-temporelle no. 24 1966
39 3/8 x 23 5/8 in.