Page 25 - Studio International - October 1970

THIS TEXT WAS FIRST PRINTED BY J. W. HOLM IN a certain awe and great wonder. These Intelligence is not required for their use, but
STOCKHOLM IN 1877. IT IS HERE PUBLISHED IN gentlemen are art connoisseurs. If they write firstly self-confidence and secondly detach-
ENGLISH FOR THE FIRST TIME. down what they have been talking about and ment. A connoisseur must never doubt, never
have it printed in a paper they are called blush or become perplexed, never let himself
Motto art critics. The poor ignoramus thinks, of be drawn into long debates. If he is attacked
Presence of mind is the first condition for the course, 'Imagine how much these men must by an art historian he takes the practical
connoisseur have studied and learned and thought, to be stand on the side of the painter, and con-
able to run like that from room to room, to versely on the side of the art historian if he is
INTRODUCTION speak like that, to smile so scornfully, and to attacked by a painter. For the form in which
Our art exhibitions are wide open to the art- examine dark corners of paintings'. This leads opinions should be expressed see 'ambiguous
loving public and offer us the most hetero- him to the full consciousness of his own insig- statements' or 'en-tout-cas'.
geneous pleasures, because the table of the nificance. If the painting has the name of Facetiousness is especially desirable; the person
arts is full of delicacies of all kinds. We are— Edv. Berg, Tideman, Sörensen, then every who possesses this quality will not even have
thanks to destiny—no longer naive. A con- sensible person thinks he must praise it. If it to learn this dictionary by heart, so long as
temporary of a Dürer or a Holbein, a is signed by one of the newer French masters, he merely has the aforementioned attributes of
Raphael or a Titian, a Rubens or a Michel- then he must condemn their crude materi- a connoisseur.
angelo found delight in the creations of the alism. But what to do if one has never heard
masters. Like children they stood in front of the name before? Is it not all too easy to
the masterpieces, captivated in soul and criticize a painting which may get the first Academy, Academic. Regular, according to
heart, enjoying their beauty without critical prize, or to praise another which is painted by the rules, but never of genius, hence Academi-
remark, amazed by their grandeur and pas- a mere mediocrity! The terrible consciousness cian. Should always be pronounced with a
sionately stirred by their sublimity. This of this possibility makes one insecure, inhibits certain mild contempt. About historical
approach is now happily out-of-date. We have the necessary detachment and creates a sense paintings and allegorical subjects it is always
no time to let our souls be sentimentally of inner mortification. safe to use this word without fear of ridicule.
stirred by the beautiful; admiration we do not Every cultivated person must nowadays be able to
know, since it is something which only chil- form an opinion about everything, and not only the Allegorical paintings. To be indicated with
dren and fools can feel, and the sublime is in grown-ups, but every schoolgirl, at least in a shrug of the shoulders as a thing of the past.
our eyes only one thing: the million. But in the better schools. From this follows the necessity If they are well painted one may add: 'What
spite of this we do not deny the decorative of learning how to express an opinion. Learning a pity that such talent is wasted on such pur-
aspect of art, so long as it does not force us to is a fatal word! But we bring comfort to all the poses. The painter apparently lacks under-
think or to feel too much. For us the most downhearted, because nothing is easier to standing of the requirements of today'. (Very
important thing is, and remains, to be able to learn than art criticism. useful phrase).
talk about art. I am here betraying a secret, which the
Everybody who has visited an exhibition and connoisseurs anxiously guard, 'Nothing is Angelo, Michel. To be used in comparison
observed the public cannot fail to have noticed easier than to become a connoisseur.' The common, if a painting represents forced positions of
certain people whose behaviour is peculiar in everyday, uninitiated man is the victim of an naked bodies; always together with this
one way or another. Sometimes they stand antiquated notion: he follows his feelings, addition: 'Exactly this was comprehended by
very close in front of a painting, and examine which one flatteringly describes as an obscure M.A., who with royal sovereignty mastered
a dark corner in which other people are movement in the unconscious. If the uniniti- the most daring forms, thereby expressing his
unable to discover anything, sometimes they ated man says, 'That painting is beautiful', it great thoughts'. (Specially recommended
stand back and look through a half-closed means actually, 'I am unable to give any phrase).
fist, as though through a little telescope; reason for it, but I like that painting'. For him
sometimes they show their enchantment over the feeling is everything. How inferior he is in Antique. To be used with respect. When
a small and indifferent painting, sometimes comparison with the connoisseur ! Feeling is talking about plastic art one can with advan-
they shrug their shoulders in front of a large an empty word: Hottentots and Kafirs have tage use expressions like 'antique sense of
canvas and smile scornfully. When two such feelings, animals have feelings, but only a form', 'antique profile', 'antique drapery', etc.
people meet, their behaviour becomes almost connoisseur can form an opinion. Beauty or
alarming; they take each other's arms and delight are of no matter to him; the forming Arrangement. The way in which the ob-
rush from one gallery to another, put their of an opinion is all; therefore, the highest pur- jects, like dresses, rooms, etc., are organized,
heads together, and converse excitedly. pose of art is precisely to provide the con- or how figures, portraits and so on are placed.
Other visitors regard them with a certain noisseur with the opportunity to gain that
reverence, but the listener hears words like satisfaction which he experiences in 'forming Bitumen. A brown colour, nowadays used
`aerial perspective', 'madder-lacquer', 'carna- an opinion' and in criticism. extensively by painters; it is therefore safe to
tion', 'spatula', and so on, until his head How to become a connoisseur depends upon know- use. Bitumen gives warmth and depth. Gen-
reels, and he looks at the mysterious men with ledge of art—and of professional terminology. erally it is very useful, like names of colour

PROFESSOR BERNARD mum, Director of the Power TORE HÅICANSSON is a Swedish behavioural anthropolo- Correction. The author of the article 'The Seventies:
Institute of Fine Arts, University of Sydney, is a gist. post-object art' in the September issue of Studio Interna-
historian of Australian art, and has also contributed to tional was Donald H. Karshan not, as printed, Donald
Géricault and Coleridge studies. His European Vision BRUCE MCLEAN lives in London and is currently working C. Karshan. We apologise for any inconvenience caused
and the South Pacific (O.U.P.) appeared recently as a for his retrospective exhibition 'King for a Day.' by this error.
paperback.
BARBARA MUNGER has assisted Michael Asher with Acknowledgment. The Arts Council of Great Britain
CAROLINE TISDALL is art critic of The Guardian. She projects at the Pomona College of Art Gallery and the for the loan of a colour block.
assisted Theo Crosby with the organisation of the Museum of Modern Art, New York. She is an artist and
kinetic exhibition currently at the Hayward Gal- a teaching assistant at the California Institute for the
lery. Arts.