Page 52 - Studio International - July August 1968

Selection of the local contribution has been all the more critical. electronic music at the end of the fifties: Cage, Vostell, Paik and
Seventeen artists were found worthy of representing German art at Stockhausen were the names here. Without the ideas that bubble
Documenta IV: six under the heading 'painting', three with graphic forth from Beuys' original intellect, the geographical area that is
work, six with sculpture and two with 'environments'. It is impossible bounded by Düsseldorf and Cologne would hardly be Germany's
to detect a guiding principle in this selection, but the principle that most vital and productive artistic centre. It must be admitted how-
a team is as strong as its weakest member may not be applied in this ever that his work—located in the area between 'greasy chairs'
case. So much is clear, for two of the artists selected, Josua Reichert smeared with margarine and economical object demonstrations—
(born 1937) and Klaus Geldmacher (born 1940), only belong at the hardly achieves more than shock or ephemeral gallantry. It is the
Documenta insofar as they perfectly represent the mysterious element same with the work of Diter Rot (born 1930), who, like Beuys, has
in art management in this country. Reichert, a gifted printer, shows recently started to teach at the Düsseldorf Art Academy. Rot was
original decorations made up of old or home-made printer's types: stimulated valuably by his stay abroad, first in Iceland, then in New
their artistic value is not enhanced by the fact that they won an York, where he was closely allied with the Dick Higgins group—
award at São Paolo. The rapid climb to fame of Geldmacher is Brecht, Hansen, Kaprow. In his most recent works still characterized
primarily ascribable to the fact that the confused mechanical games by scriptural phraseology, the object-character is allowed to make a
he constructs relieve many an artistic judge of the burden of taking stronger effect. Thus he produces autographs of the everyday,
responsibility for what is considered to be art. moments from the artist's inner biography, whose attraction consists
One of the really valuable German entries is the work of Joseph in the fact that they are unique and irrevocable.
Beuys (born 1921), although this choice may well be a puzzle to the At a first view, the sculpture of Peter Brüning (born 1929) also
foreign visitor. Beuys is the chief instigator of the happening and seems to owe much to the pop-formal trend which dominates -the
`Fluxus' movement in the Ruhr, which, in spite of its debt to New York, Rhineland area. But the cartographic symbols the artist uses evolve
remains a typically German phenomenon. The germ of the German from quite a different intention, comparable with that of Rupprecht
movement was the circle that grew up round the Cologne studio for Geiger (born 1908) and Gotthard Graubner (born 1930). Here the

Rupprecht Geiger
426/65 1965
oil on canvas
57 x 55 in.
Galerie Wilbrand. Münster