Page 65 - Studio International - July August 1972

blatant piece of Schuré-inspired Theosophical represents an 'art-movement'.
syncretism, in the context merely of 'Art-movements' would almost appear to
Neo-Catholicism. He appears to be ignorant be an exclusively American speciality. The
of the work done by Merete Bodelsen and art-movements which are most self-evidently
others on Gauguin's ceramics, and is thus able American- dominated are given a unified status
to ascribe an undue historical significance to in the 'form' of presentation of the work so
Bernard's Breton Women in the Meadow, as a subsumed under the label representing the
stylistic prototype for Gauguin's synthetism. `movement'. The art-public is directed towards
Mr Lucie-Smith really gives the game away, an 'iconic' grasp of the whole 'movement'.
however, when he re-attributes Roger Fry's It is interesting that the people who assume
well-known description of Beardsley as the the responsibility for directing the attention
Fra Angelico of Satanism' (coined 1904) to and the apprehension of the art-public in their
an author writing in the Barcelona journal encounter with an 'art-movement', (that is, the
Joventut (1900). Checking on Mr Lucie-Smith's critics and exhibition organizers), assume the
source (Blunt and Pool, Picasso, the Formative priority in such apprehension of some
Years) the error is revealed as a hasty `underlying principle'. It seems strange in itself
assumption based on careless reading (though that an underlying principle should attain the
not so careless as to preclude certain verbal status of a priority; however, artists in the past
similarities between the two passages). This have scarcely seemed dissatisfied with their role
book forms part of a series by which many as providers of examples which fit into some
people come into contact with art history. The externally invented schema of the activity.
series contains some excellent titles, but this is The public is thus presented with an
the sort of cold little catalogue which cannot underlying principle as a key to the apprehension
plead academic respectability in mitigation of of some body of art work, the principle itself
its failure to inspire enthusiasm. But it is originating in the pronouncements of an art-
certain to be widely read. q critic about that body of work. Moreover,
BRIAN PETRIE perhaps for the sake of expediency, the work of
such and such an artist is presented, as it is,
as subsumed under the name of the movement to
which he belongs in much the same way as the
movement itself is represented. The work of
`such and such', in addition to exhibiting all the
Conceptual documentation
characteristics which the 'movement' itself is
Conceptual Art by Ursula Meyer. 227 pp, meant to exhibit, must be 'cohesive' as a body
illustrated. E. P. Dutton and Co. New York. of work and in itself so that the art-public may
$3.45. attain just such an 'iconic' grasp of the work
of 'such and such' as is attainable in
Conceptual Art contains some of the early apprehension of the 'movement' as a whole to
essays and statements made in this field. It which his work is a part. The artist in the past
reprints Sol LeWitt's 'Sentences on has taken quite happily to this role and has
Conceptual Art' from Art-Language Vol. I No. endeavoured to provide the critic with a
I (1969) (where it is suggested that cohesive body of works whose function
`conceptual artists.... leap to conclusions that (besides that of making the artist famous)
logic cannot reach.') Also reprinted is the has had this required uniformity.
introduction to that issue of Art-Language by If works of art (or whatever) are thought to
Terry Atkinson and also the Lecher System and have any function, besides fitting into some pre-.
`Notes on M.I.' by Bainbridge, Hurrell, established (socially determined) hierarchy,
Baldwin and Atkinson (reprinted from the it would seem that all this is a rather
same issue). Daniel Buren's 'Beware' is similarly grotesque reversal of the proper order of
reprinted from Studio International May 1970, priorities. Moreover the very submissiveness
as also are Kosuth's 'Art After Philosophy' and of the artist has led to a situation in which the
Victor Burgin's 'Situational Aesthetics'. Much hierarchy of inappropriate priorities has
of the remainder of the book consists of become so entrenched in the accompanying
photographs, bills, maps, weather reports, social hierarchy of the art-world that the
correspondence, telegrams and other items of aspired reversal of these priorities in
interest which are normally included in books `conceptual art' necessitates a virtual political
on conceptual art. There is in addition a overthrow.
thirteen-page introduction by Ursula Meyer, In her book Conceptual Art, which is just
the size of her contribution being accounted for such a representation of an 'art-movement',
in her statement that 'conceptual art ... is best Ursula Meyer says 'Conceptual artists have
explained through itself, ie through the taken over the role of the critic in terms of
examination of conceptual art, rather than framing their own propositions, ideas and
through any assumptions outside itself. In concepts.' It would appear that recognition is
this sense, this book is not a "critical not enough. The consequence of this is that
anthology" but a documentation of conceptual Ursula Meyer appears to have made
art and statements.' Nonetheless, the concessions for these aspirations on the part of
assumption throughout is that this collection artists and has elevated this matter (which