Page 19 - Studio International - June 1967

be recognized as art—even by MacBeth conflagration which, as one might have because the artist's activities are often too
himself—when he has finished it. expected, was prematurely terminated by spontaneous—within a social context—to
Christopher Cornford also commented on the fire brigade. bear analysis. Yet, it may not be the
the general problem of predictions. In an Whereas everyone might agree about the spontaneous qualities which cannot be
opening speech during the second session, criteria for something unwanted, no two analysed but the fact that art manifestations
he distinguished between measurable and people will agree about the essential are often private. Some happenings and
qualitative predictions: the first being qualities of hideousness. Making formal events are as private as a psychedelic
concerned with speculations on, say, the distinctions about hideousness is something experience—there is a failure of communica-
state of population at a given point in the usually left to the critics, who through tion because communication might never
future; the second with the more nebulous their pronouncements themselves often have been intended. If one can accept
facet of assessing values, or states of mind assume the role of unwanted objects. But such a premise, then some art experiences
at some future date. He felt that a long there was no attack on the critics. The only one is invited to share might be less
period of concentration on any particular serious comment on the subject came from irritating. Merchant may claim that the
issue is eventually bound to generate its Anthony Caro, who said that the critic duty of the artist is to work within the realm
opposite, like an after-image. This process, tends to make his approach to an art object of understanding and control, but this is
unlike the plotting of a graph, could be a literary one, whereas the essential qualities perhaps too rigid a view. Phillip King, who
compared to a swing of the pendulum and properties were far from literary. Moelwyn said that he doesn't necessarily know what
which shows cultural history as an Merchant, professor of English at Exeter, art is about but hopes to know when he
endless zigzag path with the limits of suggested that the solution lay in minimizing sees it, is probably closer to the essence of
appropriateness in human nature as the the rift between the critical/academic and the art 'process'.
mean line. With the qualities of transience, the creative approaches by reorganizing The third session had a suitably Sundayish
expendability and anxiety demonstrated in university courses to encourage co-ordination title: Religion of the new. The comments
the work of Pollock, Oldenburg and Bacon, between scholarly analysis and on novelty were thoroughly rational, even
and deliberation, repose, harmony and creativity. He saw the artist as someone if mundane. Caro commented that newness
detachment the outstanding characteristics who, through his own work, comments in in itself is neither good nor bad, but true
of the work of Gabo, Leger and Max Bill, a critical way on both traditional and originality does not grow on trees. Novelty
Cornford saw possibilities for the future in contemporary art. He considered the as criterion is not particular to our time,
the quietism of the pronouncements of Picasso series of paintings on the theme of and the fact that an artist is unable to
John Cage and Yoko Ono. He felt that the Las Meninas as a complex of critical keep in step with every new discovery in
avant-garde had extended the role of the gestures towards Velasquez's painting. The art is subsidiary to such fundamental
artist and that art will realize itself in the chain of relationships in history can be the issues in art as the questioning of reality
various attempts at unification of style, source of creativity. The artist is faced with and the search for identity which Tilson
idiom and intent, which as yet cannot be a mass of different cultures without a single discussed.
specified. He envisaged tie artist of the future and without a single past, and this What conclusions can be drawn from a
future as a technicien de la pensée. conscious co-existence of disparities is in conference to which Merchant referred by
While Gustav Metzger talked about how itself a dynamic from which new art comes. quoting Blake and saying that generaliza-
he saw the key to the universe in the Metzger, however, did not regard this tions are the most beastly of all activities ?
cathartic connotations of autodestructive approach as viable. He felt it irrelevant to The main conclusion is that the proceedings
art, through which the artist can return to consider destruction as a creative force in showed the willingness and interest of a
a fundamental and responsible position in the context of history. Destruction in art is great many people to participate in some-
society, preparations were being made for a perhaps the first art form to deliberately thing as impossible as discussing the future
bonfire on a Brighton beach. For a whole break away from all forms of commercial- of a creative activity to which words can at
week a huge poster announced that all ism. In theory, at least, the art of spectacle best provide an inadequate analogue. As
unwanted hideous objects would be burnt and participation leaves nothing to sell. usual art itself was the star—inspired,
on the beach at 8.15 on Saturday evening. Nor was Merchant's proposal acceptable to intuitive and sometimes irrational, evading
By Saturday a quantity of various objects Jeff Nuttall, who felt that the academic with brilliant success any attempt to confine
had been piled up for the ceremonial mind does not understand the creative mind it within a structured discussion.

Stanley Jones, studio director of Curwen Prints Ltd Cyril Barrett lectures on philosophy and aesthetics at Corrections. We regret the omission from our April
and lecturer in lithography at the Slade, studied at the University of Warwick. 1967 issue of an acknowledgment to the Estate of
the Slade School from 1954-6. In 1958 he started, with Percy Wyndham Lewis for permission to reproduce a
the Curwen Press Ltd, the Curwen Studio (later Peter Reyner Banham Is reader in the history of page from Blast I, the cover of Blast II, and Jessica
Curwen Prints Ltd). His paperback book on litho- architecture at the Bartlett School, University College, Dismorr's woodcut The Engine, originally reproduced
graphy is due to be published by Oxford University London. He is a regular broadcaster and contributor in Blast II.
Press in the autumn. to New Society and The Architectural Review. His first
book Theory and Design In the First Machine Age was The name of Sheldon Williams, critic, writer, broad-
Ian Dunlop is art critic of the Evening Standard. published in 1960. caster, and London correspondent of Paletten, the
Swedish art magazine, was Inadvertently omitted from
Norbert Lynton, head of the school of art history at Angela Lambert works as private secretary to a the notes on contributors in our May issue.
Chelsea College of Art, is art critic of The Guardian Cabinet Minister, is engaged on a novel and a tele-
and a regular contributor to Art International. vision script, and contributes to Arts Review.