Page 78 - Studio International - July August 1970

the artist who will end up producing society's is the next step down. The earliest ones Maurice researched) theory. All this is a pity because
toys which will take their places beside other Rickards reproduces belong to the early Coutts-Smith can at times be a perceptive
`cultural goods' (as Jean Cassou describes nineteenth century and the latest refer to observer and because there is an important,
consumer objects). Even the democratization Vietnam, Greece and so on. Many are by now very important, theme here which this mis-
of art is seen as simply spreading the net of of purely nostalgic or artistic significance but managed effort comes nowhere close to really
speculation (as with multiples) and the subju- of the recent examples we find that it is the pinning down.
gation of art to society as an aspect of factual combination of true representation It's probably too early to try and summarize
totalitarianism. But what is the alternative? (i.e. whose images are less obviously 'artistic') what is happening now. We certainly should
To drop out. But only to become society's and apposite text which makes for the greatest not, as Theodore Roszak points out, 'resort
folklore. As Ragon says, 'Bourgeois society protest impact: like Gary Brown's picture to the superficial snooping that comes of
adjusts much better to a Gauguin in Tahiti of a napalm-burned child with the slogan cruising Bohemia for a few exciting days in
than to a Courbet in the Place Vendome'. `Johnson's Baby Powder. Made in USA'. search of local colour and the inside dope...
And this latter possibility, that of direct Now, posters occupy a special place in dissent, Rather, we should look for major trends that
action, is, generally seen as the only available but does the 'real' art which Gilbert Lascault seem to outlast the current fashion'. Roszak's
role : 'The most beautiful sculpture in the world mentioned? And into this delicate arena own book comes the closest to doing this;
is a paving stone, the heavy paving stone thrown comes Kenneth Coutts-Smith, whose book, but one major problem is the multitude of
in a policeman's face' (wall inscription at the The Dream of Icarus, although subtitled 'Art contradictions within the counter culture.
Sorbonne). But the sons of the bourgeoisie and Society in the 20th Century', is really an Like Norman Brown's language 'it is a style
throwing bricks at the sons of workers, even attempt to disentangle what the author that speaks by allusion and indirection,
if given a quasi-artistic context, is, as Roszak thinks to be the characteristics of a revolu- suggestion and paradox, and which could
points out, not only ugly but stupid: `...the tionary present-day art. It is, I'm afraid, mean, at too many points, everything or
beauty of the New Left has always lain ...in rather difficult to grasp what he does think nothing'. q
its readiness to talk openly of love, and non- since there's so much side-tracking; but from JOHN ELDERFIELD
violence and pity. It is, therefore, depressing the clues we're given what he is suggesting is
in the extreme when, on behalf of a self- (I think) this: There are two main streams
congratulatory militancy, this humane spirit in 20th-century art: 1 — the 'classical' (Cubist,
threatens to give way to the age-old politics of Constructivist, etc.) which is idealistic, which Storm tossed
hatred, vindictiveness...' Berlin Dada came once was an art of revolt (in Russia) but is Experimental Painting: construction, abstraction,
close to this consecration of violence as a now a formalist and mannerist 'official' art destruction, reduction by Stephen Bann. 144 pp.
permissive, and artistically viable, manner of (conservative, right-wing, etc.) this he calls 59 plates in colour and monochrome. Studio
protest—but Roszak is surely right in seeing `Essentialistic'; 2—the 'other tradition' (Dada, Vista. 50s.
that the positive directions of counter culture Surrealism, etc.) which is anti-formalist,
lie in the opposite direction. This opposite aleatory, magical, millenialistic, revolution- This is a real book, rather than a pot-boiler or
direction doesn't show through much in Art ary, and so on. This he calls 'Existential'. a spuriously comprehensive 'survey' such as
and Confrontation (the title implies as much), Now (to quote), 'it is clear that the events of are all too common in art-book publishing
and this is possibly why many of its authors "modernism" in art are related to ... break- today. Writing a book about experimental
are so pessimistic. They rightly see that art throughs in science and technology', but painting must be like trying to play cards in a
hasn't much useful to do in a revolutionary essentialistic art concerned itself with the violently pitching ship— if the writer is
situation (when art is conceived of as art) — `appearance' of technology, with 'signals', honest. The fact is that in so far as such a book
hence their talk of the death of art. Only one while the 'other (existential) tradition' is concerns itself with genuinely experimental
essay attempts to explain in which areas of about the psychological and anthropological artists, the focus on painting must become an
art itself can dissent operate, that by Gilbert breakthroughs—about 'symbols' (designators unsteady one. Stephen Bann is honest and
Lascault. He talks of 'the cold look' exactly not operators). We seem to be getting back his book left me feeling rather sea-sick.
reflecting contemporary society, 'the despic- to Roszak's anti-technological stance. Indeed, I wonder if he is aware of the incongruities
able' paralleling the 'old mole' which 'digs Coutts-Smith is rather fond of stressing the that have resulted from his correct refusal to
holes in rotting soil that is repugnant to the magico-religious character of his so-called be constricted by a pedantic definition of
delicate noses of the Utopians', 'eroticism' as a revolutionary art. Hence, psychedelia is painting. Plate 30 shows a photograph and
fight against sexual repression, 'writing and approved of (`the first genuine popular style plan of Bernard Lassus's Ambiance 14, which
figuration' relating to graffiti and 'environ- of decoration since "Art Deco"') and its un- is a fine dining-room designed for the
ments' showing the possibility of an order fortunately associated side-kick, Indian and President of the Renault works at Billancourt.
other than that usually imposed. But all these Tibetan art; but also science-fiction and It has a panel in one wall looking onto a dark-
shake our sensibilities, not the world itself; other uses of science and technology when green tropical garden. Dr Bann comments
they create analogies (if they do that) to translated into fantasy terms. Disliked (sorry, that 'Nature" is ... introduced as part of a
revolutionary situations because they are art counter-revolutionary) is Minimalism and system of oppositions which mutually rein-
and hence not useful. Modernist art in general because it represents force one another.' The kind of question I
If there's any kind of 'art' (other than `conceptual flabbiness'. All this, scattered would like to ask is whether or not the
manifestos) really useful within a revolution- with references to well-known sages from, Ali President's guests get a glimpse, through the
ary framework, it's posters. And yet the Tariq to Outsider, The, and illustrated with foliage of fiats decora and aracia elegans, of car-
relative cheapness of posters pushes them Paris riot police, Hornsey posters, Joe Tilson, bodies or striking workers. Not that this kind
firmly into the commercial art scene almost and so on, gives a pretty good picture of what of courtly art needs to be studied with
as soon as the particular revolution for which it is all too easy to assume counter-cultural particular astringency; but what worries me
they were designed is over. The posters of the activity is about; and an even better illustra- is that a few pages later we find Dr Bann
Atelier Populaire thus become 'cultural goods', tion of how a popular interest in dissenting discussing Gustav Metzger's auto-destructive
collected and traded often by those who profit themes can give credence to some rather art without a shift in his blandly appreciative
most by the society the poster artists wish to indifferent 'novelty art' and devalue the tone.
dismantle. And if you can't even afford to buy seriously committed work included by attach- One of Metzger's works, dated 1960, in which
dissent posters, Posters of Protest and Revolution ing to it such an incredibly naive (and under- acid was used to cut gashes into nylon sheet-
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