Page 66 - Studio International - November 1969

keep a geographical-historical continuum, and Kenzo Okada; No. 5 includes such The method has drawbacks and they need not
126 pages are devoted to 'Before the Con­ strange bedfellows as John Ferren, Jules have been allowed to pull so hard. The all­
quest' and 'Conquest to Revolution'. The Olitski, and Robert Rauschenberg). As a pervading one is fragmentation. Admittedly,
former section is pure scholarly embarrass­ publication, Art Now: New Tork has the any account of what we call a movement
ment: there are reproductions of painted visual and scholarly beauty of an undeclared tends to impose on it a unity and a sequential
ceramics and modern mural reconstructions work of art. I hope that, unlike most other logic it can never have had. There is much to
(at Teotihuacan reconstructions are being idealistic 'little magazines', it does not suffer be said for abandoning thoughts of growth and
made faster than excavations) rather than of economic collapse, but proliferates on myriad continuity and attending instead to cardinal
murals themselves (of which there are fewer cocktail tables and in art school and art moments and key issues, especially in the con­
than the author lets on); information is based history libraries. text of a short book. But Mr Overy doesn't
(it seems) mostly on un-cited hearsay and the Less adventuresome a publication is Dover's quite do that. He doesn't allow himself time
popularized cultural analyses by Vaillant, 293 Renaissance Woodcuts, a virtual facsimile to develop an argument or follow an analysis
Westheim, Thompson, and Morley (who do edition ofJ ost Amman's Kunstbuchlin published far enough to convince us that embarking on
it better, even though informationally out-of­ originally in 1599 for the burghers, illustra­ it was worthwhile. He leaves plenty of
date). The latter section is more interesting tors, and art students of Nuremberg by evidence that he knows his subject, and even,
(but also padded) because less material is Feyerabend for 'profit and benefit, as well as what is rarer, that he has thought about it )
available on the subject, especially in English; in especial pleasure, to many'. Alfred Wer­ but is too intent on mobility from page to page
the same is true of the author's last 60-page ner's introduction is a gem: setting forth th� and on a cool, light touch, to let us benefit
account of the most recent twenty years' history of the book, Amman as an artist, from his underlying seriousness. Perhaps last­
activity by Mexican artists (whom he often Nuremberg as a city relevant to Amman's minute tailoring, his own or the publishers',
quotes). But however welcome this new in­ patronage and subject matter. With this, a has contributed to this. There is an odd
formation, it is still third-hand to the reader; historical dimension is added ( congruously) reference to Adolf Loos as 'Hoffman's exact
and it is so buried in belles-lettres prose and to the original didactic utility of the book. contemporary', without there being any other
name-listings that only a more devout pro­ And for a mass-distribution paper-back, the mention of Hoffmann in the book, not even
tagonist of Mexican art than I could read book is unusually visually juicy-with Am­ in the index, that made me think I heard the
(rather than skim) to its ponderous end. man's technical art confident on every page snip of editorial scissors.
For about the same price ($25 versus 8 gns), of solidly opaque paper specially bound Anyone who knows the outline of the subject
one could receive Art Now: New Tork for a between (lasting) covers. Naturally, wood­ already will nevertheless getsomething out of
year: ten monthly portfolios of five colour cut facsimiles are more visually direct and this book. There are very useful pages on the
reproductions of art currently visible in New congruous in print than photographs. As a international and local background to De
York galleries, museums, and studios. The result, Dover has produced a book marvel­ Stijl, and particularly good comments on that
reproductions are almost always superb ( one lously direct, simple, enlightening, attractive, chair and on the Schroder House. I would say
notable exception was the Flavin in No. 3, and useful. As a re-print, it presents a pub­ that there is too much emphasis on Rietveld­
March 1969); loose-leaf, they can be extrac­ lishing concept more modest than that of at the expense, for instance, ofVantongerloo­
ted and studied in glorious isolation or per­ Art Now: New Tork; but it is also cheaper (as but more important (and symbolic of what
sonal re-shuffles. The accompanying text is a re-print should be). And its humble neat­ worries me about Mr Overy's method) is
confined to three 'pages' made by creases in ness casts glaring light on the sprawling com­ that, having had his say about the chair at the
the rag (not 'see through'} paper folder, and merciality of Thames and Hudson's over­ beginning, where he describes its construction
beautifully printed in Helvetica type. It is priced monster. and colour and dates it '1917 or 1918', he
mostly composed of particular statements BARBARA REISE reserves to page 128 the information that the
(set off with visual clarity by type differences) colour was added in or after 1919. On page
by the artists relative to their reproduced 57 there is an interesting reference to art
work. (So far only twice have the statements De Stijl: historians (Mr Overy clearly considers him­
been reprinted from elsewhere.) These con­ general and particular self something else, though as author of this
stitute primary, documentary, informational book and one on Kandinsky he is a pur­
sources, by nature integrated with the visual De Stijl by Paul Overy. 168pp illustrated veyor of art history). They are accused of
reproductions; they are mostly more in­ throughout in colour and monochrome. Dut­ being too fond of a nai:ve and mechanical
teresting and verbally articulate than the usual ton Pictureback, N.Y. $2.45. Studio Vista. theory of how influence operates. In so far as
intermediary critical journalese-and in cases Paperback 15s. Hardcover 30s. many an art historian does concern himself
like Jasper Johns' poem (No, 4, April 1969), Mondrian by L. J. F. Wijsenbeek. 186pp too mechanically and sometimes blindly with
beautiful in and of themselves. This editorial with 130 illustrations in colour and mono­ the question of influence Mr Overy is quite
respect for artists' statements is not sur­ chrome. Studio Vista. 5 gns. right, and many others have made the same
prising on the part of Matz and Jackson, complaint. But creative work is the resolving
themselves young artists doing some of Paul Overy's book belongs to the 'Picture­ of tensions between elements received by the
the best visual documentation of New York back' series. Like its fellows, therefore, it is worker and elements contributed by him. If
art as photographers for the Guggenheim short, generously illustrated in colour and in you want to understand what he is at you
Museum. Editorially, there is a clean sense black and white, and reasonably priced. It have to distinguish between these, and in­
of verbal economy in the brief, clear, des­ goes beyond them by having been constructed fluence, specific and general, is a major
criptive introductions to each artist. (The very much to fit the series-as opposed to constituent of the former.
one frustrating informational lapse is the lack springing from an editorial marriage between In fact, questions of influence occupy Mr
of dating for the creation of things repro­ a given essay and selected illustrations. The Overy a good deal of the time. His des­
duced; like did G. L. K. Morris really paint result is a duet for words and images. Mr criptions of the background occupy a third of
that 'landscape' in June of 1969 ?) And there Overy starts by showing us the famous Riet­ the book. He gives a whole paragraph to
is a sense of non-political and varied balance veld chair and talking about it. He ends with whether Schindler was influenced by De
to the selections : each portfolio presents the later Zig-zag chair and talking about it. Stijl or not. He has doubts about the in­
artists of widely differing age, style, and com­ The whole thing is very much a lecture, and fluence of De Stijl painting, or any painting,
mercial 'success' (No. 4 includes Jasper Johns a bright one at that. on the modern movement in architecture:
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