Page 18 - Studio International - December 1970

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for its own sake, and with industrialization at of which life is built and hence art must be intoxicated senses. ' 6 What is significant here is
the new reality-he did go an important step constructed. States, political and economic the continuing distinction between Suprema­
further in his determination to make the new systems perish, ideas crumble, under the tism and Communism in Lissitzky's mind even
world rather than simply paint it: to take strain of ages . . . but life is strong and grows after he has said that 'everything which is
seriously Marx's general theories of creativity, and time goes on in its real continuity.' 79 In produced is art', a distinction which leads
rather than preserve the special status of the other words, the laws of life underlying logically to his rejection of the world of 'the
fine arts. However, like the later Construc­ appearance and change mean something very intoxicated senses'. Lissitzky is also guilty
tivists, Tatlin was still partially under the similar to Hegel's World Spirit and Male­ of utopianism, of tearing 'out of the future
spell of Hegel, and unable to grasp the im­ vich's 'nature', in the sense that they provide that which can only develop as an inseparable
portance of class in Marxist thought. The the basis for universal forms, derived from part of it'. He is able to do this the more easily
other half of Marx's materialism is missing: Science and Technology. 'We construct our because he believes that the struggle is already
the new culture means nothing to the class it work as the universe constructs its own, as over and that international socialism is just
supposedly represents. the engineer constructs his bridges, as the round the corner. 'The days of destroying and
In a similar way, the first document of the mathematician his formula of orbits.' 80 Gabo beleaguering and undermining are behind us',
style that was to become International Con­ uses science to create generalized forms with­ he says, and continues, 'Art is international . . .
structivism, Naum Gabo's Realistic Manifesto, out Hegel's idealism; that is, he bases art on ignoring all distinctions between psycho­
stresses the productive and industrial aspects the observed laws of matter rather than on logical, economic and purely national art.' 87
of Constructivism -'Art is no mere ground for the laws of man's cognition; he is able to say, For this reason the continuing protests of the
conversation but the source of real exaltation, 'That is why we in creating things take away Dada group against bourgeois capitalism are
our word and deed' 4-but significantly, finds from them the labels of their owners ... all 'anachronistic'. He goes on,' "Object" stands
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its origins before the Revolution, in 'the growth accidental and local, leaving only the reality equally aloof from all political parties, be­
of human knowledge with its powerful pene­ of the constantrhythmof the forces in them.' 81 cause it is not occupied with the problems of
tration into the mysterious laws of the world, He is even aware of the pitfalls of claiming to politics but of art. This does not mean, how­
which started at the dawn of this century. create a proletarian culture: 'Not to lie about ever, that we are in favour of an art which
The blossoming of a new culture and a new the future is impossible and one can lie about stands outside of life and is apolitical on
civilization with their unprecedented-in­ it at will.' 82 But, like Tatlin, he is unable to principle. On the contrary we cannot imagine a
history surge of the masses towards the posses­ include the masses in his new style, except in creation of new forms in art unrelated to the
sion of the riches of Nature, a surge which vaguely aspiratory terms and on the basis that change in socialform.' 88 It is at this point-with
binds the people into one union, and last, not now all are equally involved in the business of art still claiming independence from any
least, the war and the revolution (those production. Their specific relationship with specific political involvement, but demanding
purifying torrents of the coming �poch), have the business of production is ignored. The art to be taken seriously as participating (again
made us face the fact of new forms of life, which bases itself on the forms of science and unspecifically) in social change-that Russian
already born and active.' 75 The language here technology, abstracted from the question of Futurism links up with Western art and be­
is very reminiscent of Italian Futurism, and social and economic relationships, is still part comes International Constructivism. In this
the suggestion of an existing unity, of an of bourgeois culture, which is, 'for the linking-up, the association of the Russian
achieved revolution, bears little resemblance enormous majority, a mere training to act as a artists with the 1917 Revolution gave to a
to the realities in Russia or elsewhere. The machine'. 83 style essentially based on the abstractions of
manifesto rejects both Cubism and Futurism In the writings of Lissitzky, who was in­ science and technology the cachet of partici­
as representatives of the 'new Great Style', fluenced by both Suprematism and Con­ pation in the creation of a socialist society.
on the grounds that Cubism is a 'logical structivism, these problems of fusing the From this point on in Western Europe, the
anarchy', its world 'broken into shreds' and artistic traditions of Futurism with Marxist social problem, and the contradictions it im­
quite unsuitable for those who 'have already ideas of culture become even clearer. He is, on poses, is increasingly seen as secondary to the
accomplished the Revolution or who are the one hand, a cultural relativist, with problems of art-a process made easier by the
already constructing and building up anew.' 76 similar attitudes to art and production to linked social and artistic developments in the
Futurism is praised for 'its devastating criti­ those of Marx. 'We then went on to establish Soviet Union itself. For example, Moholy­
cism of the past', 77 but is seen as still obsessed that expression and form in art are not Nagy's The New Vision is an analysis of the
by purely visual problems, while 'No new eternal, and that no one epoch in art stands relationships between the separate entities of
artistic system will withstand the pressure of in any relation to the following one, and that art and industrial technology, and the psycho­
a growing new culture until the very founda­ in art there is no such thing as evolution ... In logical problems this raises for the artist,
tion of Art will be erected of the real laws of the new order of society . . . work is given free particularly the problem of specialization.
Life.' 78 These are the laws of action and con­ scope and every thing which is produced is The only real change from early Futurism
struction-the laws of'efficacious existence' as art.' 84 On the other hand, he is forced by the is in the recognition that Industrialization,
opposed to 'rationally abstracted truths'. At smooth development of Russian Futurism far from being opposed to bourgeois culture,
first sight this appears fully materialistic, but throughout the revolutionary period to echo is its essential characteristic. 'Everything
it conceals both a hidden absfraction and a Tatlin in saying that 'the October Revolution functions-and functions alone-on the basis
desire for absolutes as strong as Kandinsky's in art originated much earlier', as well as of a production system which only recog­
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or Malevich's. Class as a real cultural factor asserting the ultimate primacy of artistic nises motives of material gain.' 89 For him
is entirely ignored and the vague phrase 'the intuition over socio-economic reality-'and if the 'solution lies, accordingly, not in working
laws of Life' has nothing to do with dialectical communism which set human labour on the against technical advances, but in exploiting
materialism, with real change in the real throne and Suprematism which raised aloft them for the benefit of all', but he is writing,
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world. Indeed the manifesto displays, in spite the square pennant of creativity now march not in socialist Russia where technical ad­
·of its concern with Technology and its together, then in the further stages of develop­ vances might be exploited for the 'benefit of
references to the masses, the same desire to ment it is communism which will have to re­ all', but in capitalist Germany where such a
create universal forms, outside of and protected main behind because Suprematism .:_ which process is likely to present specific political
from change, that we find in Kandinsky and embraces the totality of life's phenomenon­ problems. Thus when he says, 'man's func­
Malevich. This bec.omes clear when Gabo will attract everyone away from the domina­ tional capacities must be safeguarded; but not
says that 'space and time are the only forms tion of work and from the domination of the only safeguarded; the outward conditions for
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