Page 21 - Studio International - May 1971

situation the finest work may be being produced siege of the individual by concepts'13 amounts experience of works of art having essentially
by artists who are in no sense any longer avant- to no more than a plea for the return of the good stable material and formal constituents. The
garde. The selection presented here is not old days when any pretensions to status might critic who dismisses 'non-solid-state entities'
claimed as representative, in any broad context, go unchallenged through sheer lack of that from the art domain needs, at the very least,
of the 'best' art being produced in England. On information by means of which uncharitable some means of knowing (`privately') and
the other hand, the last thing I would personally comparisons might be made or unfavourable denoting (`publicly') what 'entity' he dismisses
want to do would be to justify my selection of judgements be reasoned. and what 'entities' he thus implicitly conserves,
the artists here in terms of any concept of the Whether or not objects will continue to be and why.
common avant-gardism of their activities; I'm employed to make art is hardly an issue : one can To the question 'Must a work have stable
confident that few of them would thank me for feel confident that there will continue in the material and formal constituents in order to be
doing so. But one cannot but be conscious of the foreseeable future to be some material entities acceptable as "art" ?' the formalist can reply
irreconcilability of certain different demands (`objects') which some people will be confident with no more conclusive an answer than that
(even, and perhaps most explicitly, within the to categorize as 'art'. (I would myself feel very nothing in his experience has led him to believe
`selected' situation presented here). The tension confident that the majority of entities so anything to the contrary. The artist, on the other
between generations has been a factor (and categorized by the majority of people—myself hand, is in a position to answer the question—at
function) in the stylistic development of art since perhaps included—will continue into the least to his own satisfaction, to the extent that he
the earliest advent of consciousness of and foreseeable future to be specific material can ever be `satisfied'—on the evidence of his
discussion about stylistic change, and it rarely entities; and I expect to continue to enjoy the own activity as it appears true to his present
involves real antagonism or offers grounds for contemplation of them.) The extent to which the circumstances. All other things being equal, the
real resentment. But it is the consciousness now applicability of morphological criteria—and in circumstances of the artist during his activity as
of a change not so much in the stylistic the first instance morphological criteria alone— an artist will testify more accurately to the real
appearance as the means of function of art that can usefully be employed now or will usefully conditions of art at any given time than will the
has made my own ambition so much less secure be employable in the future as a sine qua non for circumstances of the critic.
and my allegiance to a 'generation'9 of art so identifying some entity as 'art work', has Those who dismiss (or even consider) art
much more so. already become recognizable as a 'crude' (or work with an a priori art-theoretical
The inter-generation situation has now `pseudo') issue; i.e. one which merely begs orientation (and 'presentation') in terms of its
become vexed by a new cause of friction which, further issues.14 `lack of visual appeal' or for its apparent
like all major forces for change in art, is directly One of the chief dangers of both `obscurity', never seem prepared to accept (a)
relatable to broader social, cultural and political `romanticist' and 'formalist' criteria is that that there must be reasons why such work
changes and reconsiderations of belief and those who employ them can claim with apparent takes the 'form' it does (or doesn't take
purpose. A recent contributor to Studio conviction that there are no endeavours in art to the 'form' it doesn't)—apart from acknowledging
International (who has incidentally been in his which they are not applicable; 'The quality of issues beyond these—or (b) that an understanding
time an articulate and sympathetic advocate of art depends on inspired, felt relations or of, or at the very least insight into these reasons
`New Generation' sculpture) found it necessary proportions as on nothing else. There is no may be crucial to an understanding of and/or
to write an exposé of what he characterized as getting round this. A simple, unadorned box can sympathy with the work and the issues
`Forces against object-based art'10, in which succeed as art by virtue of these things; and concerned in it.
among other unsupportable assertions he when it fails as art it is not because it is merely a The recently appointed Conservative
claimed an implicit relationship between the plain box, but because its proportions, or even Minister with Responsibility for the Arts in
book burnings of John Latham and the fires its size, are uninspired, unfelt ... The superior Britain was recently quoted in the columns of
of Nuremburg. The association, particularly in work of art, whether it dances, radiates, explodes, Studio International to the effect that, 'I think
the context of a 'romanticist' declaration in or barely manages to be visible (or audible or one ought to be listened to by artists if one
favour of the life-enhancing' work of decipherable), exhibits, in other words, makes the appeal, and says, "Now will you
Rauschenberg and Oldenburg inter alia, rightness of "form".'15 please take more trouble to make the ordinary
testifies to its author's anxiousness. Latham's I do not question the critic's right to apply person understand something of what you are
purpose—as he has made very clear explicitly formal criteria if he feels them to be relevant; to trying to do".'16 Lord Eccles and others of his
and implicitly—has been to criticize the notion the vast majority of 'superior' works of art persuasion might be surprised to learn (though
of dependence upon precedents, and to question (including, again, the works of many of the we would not) that precisely the same
claims to comprehensiveness in any area of artists represented in this selection) I would sentiments were expressed by bureaucrats in
knowledge." Books were burned by the Nazis myself want to apply such criteria—among similar positions of influence both during the
for precisely the opposite purpose. Whatever others. But to dismiss endeavours in the field Stalinist campaign for Socialist Realism in
one's view of Latham's work and activity as art of art on the prima facie grounds that they do not Russia in the '20s and during the totalitarian
I can see no 'humane' grounds for imputing to exhibit 'rightness of form' according to a certain campaign against 'degenerate' modern art in
him intentions which are in any way oppressive; sensibility (however educated), is to give Germany in the '30s.17 Of course all such appeals
unless of course the sanctity of one's notion of criticism a precedence over art which it has were made in the name of art's `spiritual' value'
the book as a specific object has come to certainly not earned in recent years. to the 'public'. Lord Eccles appears confident
override one's respect for the notion of human `How one does one's singling out that this sense of 'value' is compatible if not
learning in its most constructive sense. determines what he singles out'. A means of directly commensurate with a specific monetary
My point in using this instance is to highlight approach dependent upon one's response to the charge to be levied from that same 'public' to
the extent to which an attachment to specific questions 'Does it look nice in the sense that I enable them to view works of art which are
objects has forced artists and writers of a certain have come to believe works of art should look `public' 'property'. It has even been suggested
`generation' into an aggressive defence of those nice ?' and/or 'Does it move me in the sense that that the proposed entry charges to be instituted
same attachments (and the aesthetics which has I have come to believe works of art should for national museums in Britain will encourage
always justified them) in the face of what they move me ?' suggests a means of coping with the the 'public' to 'value' the art.
see, with a predictable grasp on only half the unfamiliar which is very heavily dependent This diversion into the realm of political/
truth, as an attempt to wrest these objects from upon precedent and very little conducive to social criticism is not as irrelevant as it may
them. They should be able to rest easy. reassessment of the means of approach itself. In appear to the circumstances of art work being
Frameworks are not perimeters.12 Talk of 'the this case the means of approach is derived from done in this same political/social climate.