Page 30 - Studio International - May 1970

describes my bibliography as 'sketchy'. Yet it is knowledge of the Bauhaus seems to indicate that News and notes
quite clearly explained in the Foreword to my book he hadn't read the Andersen article which, by any
that 'the bibliographical references will be found in standards, is an important contribution to the sub-
the running notes in the margins of the pages. A ject. If he had read this piece he might have thought
selected bibliography has, however, been included', better of using the fence-sitting sentence about
and the bibliography itself is quite clearly titled Kandinsky not knowing 'in any detail' about
`Short bibliography of main works referred to in developments at the Bauhaus. Andersen's article
the text'. is, of course, mentioned in my book because I
The second misrepresentation.—Mr Whitford think it is important. Inclusion of an item in one Lawren S. Harris
writes that I say that it is unlikely Kandinsky knew bibliography doesn't usually mean that it can't be Professor William Townsend writes: Lawren S.
anything about the Bauhaus before he joined it, and mentioned in another. Harris, born in 1885, who died in February, was a
that this is not true. It is not, but this is not I don't really understand what Paul Overy says leading member of the Canadian Group of Seven.
what I said. What I wrote was 'It is unlikely, about his bibliography. If it consists of 'main works He was in a position both to assist and promote the
however, that Kandinsky knew in any detail at this referred to in the text' why bother with it, Group in its early struggles and, through his train-
time (1920) what had been going on at the Bauhaus especially as 'the bibliographical references will ing in Munich from 1905-7 and his enthusiasm for
during its first year of existence'. 'In any detail' is be found in the running notes in the margins of Scandinavian Post Impressionism, to exert a major
not quite the same as 'anything'. the pages' ?* influence on the development of the vigorous
Mr Whitford criticises me for not mentioning the I very much regret that Paul Overy should think romantic landscape style which was Canada's first
`role played' by Max Planck and Einstein in the my review sprang from personal motives. If he claim to a style of painting of its own. His subse-
formation of `Kandinsky's anti-materialist philo- looks at my book again he will see that it can in no quent development towards abstraction, deriving
sophy' and because I do not discuss in detail sense be regarded as competition for his own study, from austere simplifications of landscape ensured a
Kandinsky's relationship with Schoenberg. (Sure as if it would really matter if it could. continuing influence on Canadian painting long
enough, both of these points are dealt with in after the impetus of the Group of Seven was ex-
Mr Whitford's own book on Kandinsky.) * I mentioned Schoenberg in the context of a remark hausted. His essays in pure abstraction of the mid-
I did not specifically mention Planck and Einstein about some of the sources for Kandinsky's ideas not 1930s are works of key importance to Canadian
in this context for the simple reason that this has having so far been isolated and if Mr Overy can tell me art of the time. Since 1942 Lawren Harris had
been done by just about every writer on Kandinsky about the writers who have dealt with the relationship lived in Vancouver.
(or Cubism for that matter) and there really isn't between those two artists satisfactorily as well as
anything new to say. (Einstein is, however, men- extensively I should quite genuinely be grateful, as it Issue No. 2 of Art-Language is now available from
tioned twice in the book—once, it is true, in a seems to me to be something urgently needing clarifica- Art & Language Press, 26 West End, Chipping
quotation from Bertrand Russell—as Mr Whitford tion.] Norton, Oxon, England, price 12s 6d, or from the
will see if he cares to look in the index.) In the case American Editor at 60 Grand Street, New York,
of Kandinsky's relationship with Schoenberg— NY 10013, price $2.50. The 90-page issue contains
this too has been discussed extensively by most Judd on Newman-a correction an 'Introduction from the American Editor' by
other writers on Kandinsky. I am not a musical Joseph Kosuth, an article by David Bainbridge,
expert. If I had wanted to write a book on the The following note by Don Judd was intended to Frederic Barthelme's '3 from May 23rd 1969',
relationship between Kandinsky's painting and preface his article on Barnett Newman, published `Notes on Marat' by Stephen McKenna, 'Plans
music, and felt qualified to do so, I might have in the February issue, pp. 67-69: and Procedures' by Michael Baldwin, a 'Dialogue'
done, but I wouldn't have called it 'The Language by Ian Burn, 'From an Art-Language Point of
of the Eye.' My book is about something different. `On 26 October 1964 das Kunstwerk wrote saying View' and 'Concerning the Bainbridge-Hurrell
Mr Whitford's main criticism seems to be that I "Could you be interested in writing for us the models' by Terry Atkinson, notes on the latter and
didn't write the same book as he did. article about Newman? We need a text about 5 `Sculptures and Devices' by Harold Hurrell, 'Con-
Paul Overy typewritten pages until the end of November. ceptual Art: category and action' by Michael
Harrow Besides we need photographs. Could you get them Thompson, and 'Notes on Genealogies' by Mel
Middlesex and send to us? Also we would like to reproduce Ramsden. Articles by Joseph Kosuth and by Terry
one picture in colour. Do you know the artist and Atkinson, David Bainbridge, Michael Baldwin and
[Frank Whitford writes: could you ask him whether there exists a colour Harold Hurrell have been featured in recent issues
Of course Paul Overy is right. Book reviewers plate which he could lend us ?" I wrote the article of Studio International.
shouldn't have vested interests, and they should and das Kunstwerk never printed it. They also
have some close knowledge of the subject of the wasted Newman's time and help on the photo- An art adviser has been appointed by the Jersey
book they are reviewing. Unfortunately, publishers graphs. International Bank of Commerce. He is the Hon.
being what they are today, the two qualities `I assumed I was writing for a somewhat ignorant James Dugdale, an expert on impressionist and
(knowledge and authorship) are often indivisible audience and included some obvious history. modern paintings, formerly with Sotheby's and
and it's often impossible to find a close student of `There's a critical reference to Ellsworth Kelly in Parke-Bernet. The Jersey international Bank is
anything who hasn't published a book on it. But the article which shouldn't be printed without believed to be the first bank to make such an
Mr Overy's implication that I was trying to mentioning that I like his work quite a bit now. I appointment.
discredit his book with the intention of giving a haven't changed my mind about the paintings I
sneaky lift to my own would be unworthy, if it were was writing about, the Arpish ones, but the later John Brantley Hightower, Executive Director
not so funny, in the degree of sensitivity to criticism rectangular paintings are another case. At the of the New York State Council on the Arts, has
it reveals. The point of a review, as I'm sure Paul time I had seen one early sectional rectangular been appointed Director of the Museum of Modern
Overy will agree, is not to score points in some painting in a Green Gallery show but didn't know Art, New York. The appointment took effect from
elaborate game of trade rivalry, but to examine a there were more like it and took it for a fluke. May 1 1970. Mr Hightower graduated from Yale
book as fairly and honestly as possible as a con- Frank Stella has done a lot of good paintings since in 1955 and held an executive training post at the
tribution to its subject. I hope that The Language of 1964 and he shouldn't be second even to Newman.' First National City Bank from 1957 to 1961.
the Eye sells well, if that is what its author wants,
but that doesn't alter the fact that I think it un- [We apologise to Mr Judd for not running this The Jim Dine catalogue—with reference to the
satisfactory in the ways I described in my review, introduction as he intended. It was assumed that April edition of Studio International—contains 150
if not in more. the note was by way of explanation, rather than pages with 120 reproductions, seventy-four of them
To say that I was making undercover PR for my for publication, and the last paragraph from 'I in colour. There are essays by John Russell, Tony
own book is a serious charge to level against a haven't changed my mind ....' to the end was in Towle and Wieland Schmied in German and
reviewer and I should consequently be grateful for fact published verbatim as footnotes 1 and 2, p. 69. English, also a complete bibliography. It is edited
the opportunity to deal with Paul Overy's objec- We also wish to point out that das Kunstwerk has by Wibke Von Bonin and Michael Cullen and
tions in some detail. First, the matter of the two undergone many changes since 1964. —Ed.] published by the Galerie Mikro, Berlin.
articles not mentioned in the bibliography. These
were just examples of a series of publications the The exhibition '3 Los Angeles Artists' featuring
author could and should have cited. I mentioned In William Tucker's 'Brancusi', April issue, p. the work of Larry Bell, Robert Irwin and Doug
those two because they touch specifically on points 160, FlyingTurtle 1940 15, marble, Solomon R. Wheeler, goes on at the TATE GALLERY, London,
Paul Overy raises, points which, in the light of Guggenheim Museum collection, was reproduced May 6 to 31. All the work deals with the limits of
these articles, might have been made a little in error in place of The Turtle 1943, plaster cast of perception and illusion. It consists of three com-
differently. What he says about Kandinsky's wood, in the Musée Nationale d'Art Moderne, Paris. plete environments.