Page 52 - Studio International - November 1970

`meaning' and of its presentation, and com- Joseph Kosuth, form of presentation for III Quantity
mitted him to a notion of the purpose of art (A.A.I.A.I.) 1968; one of four newpaper inserts; 'When
Attitudes become Form', ICA August 1969.
which was very specifically to do with thought 2
rather than association. Atkinson/Bainbridge/Baldwin/Hurrell, Lecher System
Model 1 1969; 'Idea Structures', Camden Arts Centre,
Kosuth's art over the last two years has shown June 1970.
a tendency to become more general in range 3
Victor Burgin, work published in 'Idea Structures'
and effect as it departs further from concerns catalogue.
relating to a specific art-historical situation work—a practice which has fallen out of
and becomes more involved with general favour during the long period of indiscrimin-
investigations of conceptual structure and of ate non-figuration. 'Because of the implied
the function of thought in the absence of duality of perception and conception in
physical, or kinetic purpose; that is to say, as earlier art a middle-man (critic) appeared
his art becomes more abstract its function useful. This art [i.e. conceptual art 'at its
becomes more general. most strict and radical extreme'] both
One great advantage of art work over annexes the functions of critic and makes a
philosophy, in this context, is that it inherits a middleman unnecessary. The other system:
tradition of concern with the senses and a free- artist-critic-audience existed because the visual
dom to consider imagination as a faculty of elements of the "how" construction gave art
thought. There is a tendency to view analytic an aspect of entertainment, thus it had an
art as an art somehow not of the whole audience. The audience of conceptual art is
man22; to do so is wholly to misunderstand composed primarily of artists—which is to say
and to underestimate its function as art and its that an audience separate from the partici-
relationship to art traditions. Response itself be noticed. But the terms of reference are pants doesn't exist. In a sense then art
is not denigrated in such work; indeed, among always carefully controlled. The relevance of becomes as "serious" as science or philosophy,
the work of the Art-Language artists, several these projects to art functions is maintained which don't have "audiences" either ... '
23
of the Bainbridge and Hurrell models appear with real intelligence and responsibility. (Kosuth29). Of course, although this may
to rely very largely upon imaginative re- The responsibilities involved are in the first seem like an attempt at exclusiveness, Kosuth
sponses as a means of preparing the spectator instance responsibilities to art; those unable would no doubt be prepared to welcome as a
for the discussion of art-critical issues; these to place the obligations in this context are in potential participant anyone prepared and
artists are merely ensuring that the responses no position to derogate the work in terms of able to think relevantly about art (rather than
in the context of art are indeed made to art. the artists' grasp of the principles of philo- just look at or bump into it).
Cezanne's tree in the landscape is not there to sophical discourse, even supposing they are
encourage speculation; it is there as a record themselves educated in the said principles.27 One function of the endeavours of Art-Lan-
of fact; the fact recorded is the fact of Cezanne's It would be senseless at this point in time to guage's editors, British and American, has
relationship to it. Cezanne's art is validated judge the work and published writing of been to establish a climate in which it is far
by the reality as art of that relationship. Kosuth or of the Art-Language artists as harder for irresponsible work with apparently
Post-object art needs to be just as stringently philosophy—though they would all, I am sure, similar intentions to flourish and gain
located in realities. Although we may not welcome dialogue with philosophers as being currency—an achievement of which any of
now be so secure in our relationship to and generally more rational men than the contri- their detractors among the art commentators
recognition of objects, there is no more butors to art-correspondence columns. They might feel justly proud.
license to indiscriminate invention than there don't pretend to be philosophers. What This particular quality of rigourousness in
has ever been— a point which the Art-Lan- matters is the function of their work as art—a this context is of first relevance to art, now
guage artists in particular have been at pains point which should be obvious to anyone who that it has become impossible to rely for one's
to stress. See for instance Terry Atkinson's can hold fire long enough to consider the recognition of what constitutes a given art
long article 'From an Art and Language point usefulness of, say, evaluating Duchamp's In enterprise upon the borders around or peri-
of view' in the second issue of their journal." advance of the broken Arm28 in terms of its meters of a specific material object. 'There is
In their own work they have maintained a fitness as an instrument for shovelling snow. a challenge to the million-years habit of
scrupulous regard for identities; that is to say Perhaps one day works of art will function in identifying "things". The recognizance of
that they have attempted always to ensure that the context of philosophy as immediately and something as something is another question
the entities to which they would have us at- as appositely as they do in the context of art; bound up with aspects of things, and not
tend are plausible entities, and that their para- and perhaps one day philosophical hypotheses solely with "identifications" per se' (Atkinson/
meters are adequately established : 'It can be will have as immediate an effect upon art as Baldwin"). This needs to be more widely
shown that the entities which are of present they do upon other areas of abstract specula- recognized and catered for. How, in many
concern, though based in theoretical consider- tion; but not yet. Not until works of art are as works offered for consideration, can we detach
ations ... are not theoretical fictions' (Atkinson/ rigorously examined as are philosphers' the work itself from its supporting critical/
Baldwin in Frameworks).25 Many artists, in hypotheses; not until philosophers themselves informational framework? Are the artists con-
claiming to present certain 'ideas' or 'imagin- come to see art's potential for instantaneous cerned prepared to accept that given informa-
ary situations' to our attention are in fact rely- (non-sequential) presentation of complex tion about the work constitutes an essential
ing upon imaginative functions on our part to intuitions. The function as art of Kosuth's and part of the perceptible structure of the work ?
establish a drama of fictions in the mind which of Atkinson's, Baldwin's, Bainbridge's and Where there is no object, what exactly are we
bears no real relationship either to art or to the Hurrell's exhibited work and published attending to ?
facts of the artist's endeavour. Art-Language writings has been in part to promote the Ad Reinhardt provided a unique precedent
projects, such as the Lecher System model and prospect of a rapprochement between art and for an integral relationship between the works
commentaries", are certainly imaginative in philosophy, and to draw attention to the (his black paintings) and the structure of
inception and particularly in modes of standards of thought which this would impose ideas which support and are supported by
employment, and there is an element of upon art. -The first necessity is for the artist to them. The highly consistent nature of his art
speculative humour which seems not often to take responsibility for the meaning of his from 1960 to 1967 is justified by the 'ultimate'