Page 53 - Studio International - May 1968

London commentary

Prunella Clough at Grosvenor; Michael
Tyzackat Axiom; Jeffrey Camp at New
Art Centre; Man Ray and Picabia at
Hanover; Fuseli at Roland, Browse and
Delbanco; Indian paintings at the Arts
Council; Brancusi at Brook Street; Old
Masters at Agnew's.
Is it merely my own jaded appetite-or is the much- rather Laetitia) observed through a variety of key- adays-not a patch on Rauschenberg's goat.
vaunted 'London scene' rather a dull affair at the holes. Sometimes the canvases are themselves Picabia looks neither tame nor untame, but simply
moment ? The most interesting shows in town all shaped, sometimes the figure, or part of it, appears like a good artist. The catalogue introduction
seem to consist of art which is far from new. There in a shaped field within the canvas. The touch is quotes a manifesto signed by the poet Georges
are, however, one or two honourable exceptions- lively, the drawing witty, the colour leans towards Ribemont-Dessaignes :
chief among them the paintings which Prunella the mauves and greens favoured by Art Nouveau. Dada like everybody else has pleasures. The
Clough is showing at the GROSVENOR GALLERY. In The effect is rather like Van Dongen. principal pleasure of Dada is to see oneself in
recent years, Miss Clough has been rather an un- others. Dada stimulates laughter, curiosity or
derrated artist. Her sensibility has never been in anger. As those are three very sympathetic things,
doubt, but the work often seemed curiously muted At the HANOVER GALLERY, there is a very pleasant Dada is very happy. Dada is even more pleased
and unambitious. The new exhibition puts much show of two minor masters of 'classic modern'- at being laughed at without any preparation.
of what she has done previously into its proper Man Ray and Picabia. Since both are provocateurs The watercolours on view at the Hanover give me
perspective, and she now emerges as one of the the categorization is ironic as well as inevitable. Of very much the spontaneous feeling of happiness
best of the English informal abstractionists. The the two, Picabia is more interesting. Man Ray's which this description suggests. What they depict
paintings are admirable on two counts: the firm dada objects, with their punning titles (Pain Peint is a series of 'useless machines'. It would be an
control of the design, and the refined sensitivity of is a french loaf painted blue) look pretty tame now- appropriately dadaist act to construct them from

the colour and texture. Normally one would expect
these two qualities to cancel one another out : here
they work well together. Painting of this kind is
always difficult to describe or analyse, and I've
been wondering why I found myself responding so
very positively to Miss Clough's work. I suspect
the reason is that the pictures are both abstract
and concrete-the world impinges upon the artist,
and is impeccably translated into the terms of Above left
painting. One can't describe what Miss Clough Michael Tyzack
has seen, but one knows she saw something. What Esterhazy 1968
she's concerned with is to tell us how she felt-and 85 x 145 in.
this is done precisely and admirably. acrylic on cotton duck
Axiom Gallery, London
Michael Tyzack's exhibition at the AXIOM GALLERY
has a more expected quality, and doesn't come Above
home to me quite so personally. But this, too, is a Prunella Clough
very honest show, and it is good to see an artist Painting 1966
who is developing. Practically everything here oil on canvas
springs from ideas which the artist has used al- 34 x 52 in.
ready. But the progression is a logical and convinc- Grosvenor Gallery, London
ing one. The shaped canvases, for example, exploit
notions which were there already in the picture Left
with which Tyzack won his prize at the John Jeffrey Camp
Moores'. Laetitia and the Irises
oil on canvas
At the NEW ART CENTRE there is a lightweight but 30 in. diameter
amusing exhibition by Jeffrey Camp-Venus (or New Art Centre, London