Page 31 - Studio International - July/August 1967

Les Levine
Disposables 1966
Polyexpandable styrene
12x 12 in. each
Fishbach Gallery, New York

only through the mind that a message can be handed ments: in particular the work of Pistoletto who confronts
down from generation to generation and leave a durable us in his mirrors with fictitious, painted silhouettes
impression. When all the works by Mondrian have col- mingled with the real silhouettes of persons reflected in
lapsed into dust, it will still be true that Mondrian the mirrors. Le Parc's portable mirrors are less 'surrealis-
played a decisive role in the development of modern tic' but have a triple significance. In the first place they
creative art. But if the lasting quality of a work of art no express almost symbolically the importance of the re-
longer resides in its material nature, if the 'concept' is lationship of the spectator with the work of art. Above all
all-important, it is possible to envisage works which they are expressly created to integrate within the oval
would be handed on by word of mouth without any frame all the reflected, external movements: head and
material trace whatever. In 1919 Malevitch suggested limbs of the spectator and persons next to him, lighting,
communicating his compositions by telephone, and three walls of the room etc. Finally they reflect the spatial con-
years later Moholy-Nagy followed his advice by tele- cepts of the man who happens to be the spectator at a
phoning instructions for sculptures to a German factory. given point in time.
Taking this idea further we can envisage purely mental This extreme example of the integration of surrounding
works which are 'visualized' without support from a space into a work of art has its counterpart at the other
physical object. Soto remarked that there was no need to end of the scale: the extension of the work of art until it
see Malevitch's 'white square against a white background' attains the dimensions of external space. Labyrinthine
in order to understand its decisive importance; for his structures, 'environments', gigantic Nanas which the
part he said that he gained nothing by actually seeing the visitor can explore, gaming halls: once again the aim is to
work recently in New York. Tomorrow art may perhaps burst the ancient bonds of the art-object and to envelop
be expressed by a mathematical formula: 'Take a cube of the spectator in an 'ambience', to place him at the very
Plexiglass with a side length of x centimetres etc.' heart of plastic and sonorous 'manifestations' which
Ephemeral, constricted in time, the modern work of surround him and transform his relationship to art from
art also bursts out into space. Boccioni dreamed of inte- a partial, visual experience into a global experience
grating real elements from the surrounding world into (involving the entire mind and body). In this way the
his sculptures: walls, furniture, windows, sky. Marcel conditions of daily life are recreated—the spectator is
Duchamp was the first artist to achieve this visual inte- exposed to conflicting visual demands which lead to a
gration with his great, transparent 'glass' (1915 —1923) permanent division of his attention. Two different trends
in which the elements of the pictorial composition are can be distinguished today as far as the creation of
confused before our eyes with what is happening behind `environments' is concerned; these trends are typified in
the glass (decor of the museum, visitors walking round the contrasting experiments of the GRAV group.
etc.). This 'open-ended' work which has continued to The aim of certain artists is to enclose the spectator in a
fascinate many American artists—John Cage for example cocoon (a tunnel or labyrinth) which is usually oppres-
developed from it his theory of automatic integration sive and in which a variety of surprises await the visitor:
with a musical work of accidental, external sounds— this flashes of light, uneven floors etc., which he generally
work which is based in no small measure on the interven- accepts with resignation. For other artists the environ-
tion of chance, was soon followed by further develop- ment provides above all an opportunity for participation.