Page 21 - Studio International - March 1968

Correspondence It is most heartening to read further-'We feel artists than any American alive today. Nor does it
entitled to claim that the idea has worked wel I for ten make sense to twist Clement Greenberg's honest
An example of censorship? years and continues to do so.' The Belfast series of enthusiasm for certain English sculptors so that it is
Dear Sir, exhibitions has also proved most rewarding both to seen as a 'deliberate rudeness'. It all begins to sound
We understand that David Medalla, the founder of artists and especially to the public in Northern like Elsa Maxwell shot out of a cannon ball, and seems
the Exploding Galaxy, is at present living in Paris, Ireland who, because of the 'sea barrier' have fewer unfit material for a serious magazine.
contrary to his wishes, with few friends, and no opportunities than most to keep in touch with current Yours very truly,
money. He is unable to obtain a visa for re-entry into thinking. London, W.1 Suzi Gablik
this country. We take pleasure, on the tenth anniversary of the
The Galaxy, a recently formed and increasingly wel I· John Moores Exhibition, in recalling that their hope Critical syndrome
known dance group, have just completed a successful 'that others would follow the example of our Exhibi­ Dear Sir,
European tour, and the company, with the exception tion' was first fulfilled in 1962 in Northern Ireland. I would think, much as I admire Tony Caro and Cos,
of David Medalla, are now back in London. Link maga­ Yours faithfully, work, that Mr Harrison's article (London Commentary,
zine, which happens to feature some of their work, J. Kenneth Jamison February issue) is something of an anachronism,
may serve as a pointer to the fact that David Medal la Deputy Director since almost everything one reads now on current
has been, in the last six years, extremely active in the Arts Council of Northern Ireland British work orientates around this particular syn•
cultural life of this country. Belfast 2 drome, which is surely more than obvious?
No reason has apparently been given for the refusal Equally obvious is the fact that over the past few
of a visa, and we earnestly request that those in a Art in Israel years there has been a number of sculptors, both here
position to do so will use their good offices and Dear Sir, and in America, who have independently been
influence towards the granting of such a visa, or, at We refer to Mr Spencer's commentary about seriously concerned about a re-evaluation of 'sculp·
the very least, towards the elucidation of some reason Israel's Art (October issue). We have the impression tural' aesthetics and it simply would not be true to
for such a refusal. that Mr Spencer did not study the problem thoroughly attribute all initial steps in this direction to this
Yours, etc., and profoundly. particular Greenberg-manipulated area. The validity
Kenelm Cox Speaking about the young generation and the old of the alternatives must necessarily be questionable
Dom Sylvester Houedard one, Mr Spencer forgets that there is inbetween but are surely not already redundant.
John Furnival another generation which worked, still works, dares The widely-felt conclusion must be, because of their
Kingscote and experiments. apparent inadequacies that to 'bat on a safe wicket'
Tetbury That very generation exists and is sometimes (for want of a more appropriate term) has embarrass•
Gloucestershire younger in spirit than the young generation which Mr ingly become the trademark of a number of contem­
Spencer mentions. We may state that art in Israel is porary British critics.
(The winter '67 issue of Link, the journal of Glouces­ not isolated as Mr Spencer says in his article. It shows Yours faithfully,
tershire College of Art, Cheltenham, featured an that Mr Spencer was misguided and we advise him, David Hall
interview with David Medal la and an illustrated article for his next visit, to study the problem in a more Brentford
on the Exploding Galaxy's dance drama 'The Bird serious way.
Ballet'. The London address of Galaxy is 99 Balls Very truly yours, Charles Harrison writes: Mr Hall seems to think that
Pond Road, N.1-Ed.) J. Wexsler I intended to attribute 'al I initial stirrings' in the 're•
M. Propes evaluation of sculptural aesthetics' to what he iden­
M. Sisselman tifies as a 'Greenberg-manipulated area'. Either I
Northern Ireland's 'shop window' Avni Art Institute, expressed myself very badly or Mr Hall has misread
Dear Sir, Tel-Aviv me. I referred to King, Caro and Tucker as 'major
figures'; Greenberg might agree with two of those,
This letter is prompted by seeing recently a copy of Chares Spencer writes: Opinions, especially on the but I doubt if he'd allow all three. I did also say that I
the catalogue of the current John Moores Exhibition visual arts, are virtually beyond debate. I have visited thought 'variety of intention and effect among the
at Liverpool. The foreword makes the claim for the Israel almost every year tor the last five or six years, works of the major figures is one of the measures
exhibition that 'Artists have got from it a shop window and have always taken the keenest interest in the work of the vitality of contemporary English sculpture'.
that no-one else in the country offered them. No-one, of its artists. No doubt I have much yet to see and Mr Hal I accuses me of 'batting on a safe wicket': it
that is, until this year when Mr Richard Demarco learn, but whatever my conclusions they can hardly was not my intention to procjuce any startling re­
staged his Edinburgh Open 100 Exhibition. We had be based on lack of information. Judgement? Well, evaluations or to uncover new trends. I merely felt
always hoped that others would follow the example of that's another matter. that, although the importance of 'Caro and Co.' may
our exhibition ... ' be obvious to Mr Hall and his fellow artists, the
I confess I read this with a pang of disappointment, quality of British sculpture, in all its diversity, has
since I had thought that the Northern Ireland Open An embarrassment of criticism over the last few years hardly had the support it de­
Painting Exhibition, held every second year since Dear Sir, serves from English critics in the English press. And
1962, with another planned for this September, was I now find it embarrassing that Studio International it deserves a lot.
by now an established event of some importance in should persist in publishing the maniac ravings of Mr
the art calendar of the British Isles. This exhibition Patrick Heron. No matter how elaborate and in­
was in the first place directly inspired by the splendid genious a paranoid system he devises, he cannot The Italian scene
example of the Moores venture and the first display in make the facts fit convincingly to anyone who does Dear Sir,
1962 was modelled closely upon it, attracting an entry not share his persecution manias. Nor can he single­ I write this letter, fearful that some of your readers
(sustained in subsequent years) of between five and handedly-however admirably he tries-change the may have taken seriously Miss Palazzoll's comment­
six hundred paintings. Our judges have been drawn history of art. That the most significant art is being ary on Italy in your January 1968 number. While I
from the same challenging ranks of authority-Bryan made, by and large, in America today, is geographic would be the last to curb the careless rapture and the
Robertson and Ceri Richards in 1962, John Russell and and historic fact, not anybody's chauvinism, and illimited enthusiasm of youth, some facts, at least,
Robert Medley in 1964 and Philip James, William nothing to get so personally hotted up about. It could must be respected.
Scott and Anne Crookshank in 1966. Past prize win• change at any moment. It is clear that 'What goes on in the visual arts in
ners have included: 1966-Richard Lin.Justin Knowles, I will venture to add that great art is not about good Italy today' does not stem 'from a situation dating
John Hoyland, Richard Allen, Terry Frost, _Peter taste, as Mr Heron would like it to be; Ben Nicholson back to about 1960 when Italian artists found them­
Snow: 1964-William Culbert, Trevor Bell, Adrian has not superseded Mondrian, no matter how hard selves faced with the choice of lining up with Pop art,
Henri, Henry lnlander, Cecil King: 1962-George Mr Heron tries to make it so. It is sheer hysteria to primary structures and other things Americans like
Campbell, Michael Stokoe, Geoffrey Adams and attack Gene Baro in that manner, accusing him of to do, or recreating a European alternative based on
Alicia Boyle. The exhibitions (presented in the Ulster being 'so outrageously patronizing towards British different social and political-as well as cultural­
Museum) have each contained approximately one painting' when he has probably written more straight­ contexts'.
hundred paintings. forward and informative prose about living British Firstly, I am doubtful that eight years ago Miss
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