Page 13 - Studio International - February 1971

only emerged as a full-fledged branch of damaging to the artist, who must either enter AAARGH!
philosophy known as aesthetics within the last into a successful dialogue with this illusion, or
two hundred years. At present, the articulation be lost. But Morse Peckham has already indeed
of theory is taking over the field in such a way pointed out in Man's Rage for Chaos3 that he
that it is about to eliminate the art object which production of stylistic categories is only a way Andrew Higgens
was once its subject, in an attempt to force art of structuring art experience; not art, but
into the relatively inflexible box that its perception is ordered. It has led us to think
paradigms offer. (What will not fit into the box about a stylistic series as something naturally
is likely not to be seen at all.) It seems to me that structured in itself. But a stylistic continuum
the imaginative possibilities of the artist need is not a self-contained process, even though
not be exclusively defined and limited by art there is a tendency to think of historical process
history to a tidy set of alternatives. In short, I as taking place 'in' art. Peckham attempts to
am far from persuaded that anyone who wants explain how this has come about : 'The unique
to make (relevant) art at this moment must do so features of each work of art are ignored and
`in the absence of material props'2. I think that only those are observed which one has
the present state of artistic discourse is spuriously linked with an orientation.... Certair
beginning to function like an internalized stylistic recurrences within a given stylistic
rubber fence which paralyzes the imaginative continuum are selected by a process of
thinking of artists. I shall attempt to explain abstraction increasingly remote from the
what I mean by this. discrete objects exhibiting those features, that
The term 'rubber fence' is normally used to is, from the individual works of art themselves.
describe the nature of the family role-structure By repeated behavioural reinforcement the
in schizophrenic families. It refers to a investigator comes to regard this selection as a
continuous but elastic boundary which stretches structure held together by certain forces
to include whatever can be interpreted as inherent within it.... This structure is then
complementary and contracts to exclude hypostatized, that is, the investigator thinks he
whatever can be interpreted as is talking about something that 'really'
non-complementary. It occurs to me that exists.... He fancies that he verifies that A comment on ' AAARGH ! A Celebration of
this description could also refer to the existence by observing in the discrete works of Comics', arranged by Michael Kustow and
self-conscious use of artistic paradigms. I shall art the particular features he has selected and billed as 'the first major tribute in this country to
elaborate on the analogy. In schizophrenic by ignoring the rest. But, in fact, the stylistic one of the great popular arts of the century', at the
families, social organization is shaped by a structure which he has thus hypostatized, and ICA until February 5.
pervasive familial subculture of myths and which he imagines he has verified, is only a
ideologies which stress the dire consequences construct.'4 In such cases the schema by which The messy exhibition of comics at the ICA has
of open divergences from a relatively limited order is brought to events becomes reified and had a good deal of praise from reviewers, and
number of fixed, engulfing family roles. Since is then considered as having properties of its it is perhaps not too difficult to see why this is so :
no open recognition of differences is possible, own. It is certainly true, on the other hand, the power of nostalgia, the energy of the comics
such processes lead to a marked constriction and that the artist is not an utterly free agent themselves and a growing and uncritical
impoverishment of ego function and obeying nothing more than his own will. As indulgence in popular entertainment probably
development. The imaginative capacity is George Kubler demonstrates in his remarkable account for it. What is more difficult to
severely impaired when there has been an book The Shape of Time,5 his situation is understand is quite why the exhibition was put
internalization of a rubber fence beyond which rigidly bound by a chain of prior events which on at all in what is, after all, an Art Gallery.
one's experience may not wander without largely determine his actions. But when, as is The catalogue explains : 'Because comics ... are
disaster. Let us substitute the ideological now happening, the elements of art are one of the great popular arts of this century....
justifications of contemporary art for the family limited still further exclusively to art, and when Because comics permeate advertising and
role-structure which is taken into the personality its motivations are limited to the mere fashion, feed cinema and television. Because
as an archaic superego. How can we then artificial extension of boundaries or paradigms, comics turn on artists. Because comics have
justify the refusal to recognize works of art the result is the siege of the individual by infiltrated our whole culture like some
which cannot be used to strengthen and extend concepts. q incredibly fertile science-fiction growth!' This
the art-historical dialogue ? In our present seems to mean that we have a comics show at the
situation, the artist cannot differentiate himself ICA because comics are already totally familiar
outside of this structure, and he is forced to to most people. Logically, the next show should
strive for a sense of relation by trying to fit into it. be a football exhibition or the presentation of
All of us know the ignominious fate of art television programmes old and new.
which has insufficient historical identity. We In fact, of course, the key words are
also know that those who are unwilling or `infiltrated' and 'culture'. Comics have obviously
unable to accommodate their work to the not infiltrated popular culture any more than
emergence of a new paradigm are forced to football or television; they are just part of it.
proceed in isolation (although the rate of change 1 I am indebted here to Thomas Kuhn's The Structure What they have done is to sneak into Fine Art
in styles or schools is now so rapid that no of Scientific Revolutions,Vol.II, University of culture, i.e. into the ICA, and the catalogue of the
balance at all is achieved between continuity Chicago Press, 1970. show reveals pretty clearly the half-truths and
and radical invention). The fact is that we have 2 From 'A very abstract context' by Charles vague assumptions which have permitted, not
Harrison, in Studio International, November 1970,
built up a convincingly coherent but utterly P 195. to say encouraged, this infiltration;
false illusion of the historical process of art, 3 Morse Peckham, Man's Rage for Chaos, Schocken assumptions which take seriously neither Fine
which is perceived as an entity with a Books, New York, 1967. Art nor Popular Art, and which in a
4 Ibid, p 27-8.
phenomenal existence apart from either artists 5 George Kubler, The Shape of Time, Yale University disingenuously democratic way avoid any
or individual works. This is ultimately Press, 1962. distinction between the two by blandly
43