Page 19 - Studio International - May 1972

Correspondence concerto theme by Giorgione ? Is the girl really On art and ideology : surely the 'seeing' of a
offering 'certain flutes' to the shepherd, or is picture is inescapably influenCed by a vast
she going to play it (them) herself ? And complex of preconceptions, expectations and so
mentioning erotic elements in this wholly on, verbal and otherwise—including ideological
sensual piCture, would it not be correct by factors. This is a commonplace of cognitive
Mr Bann to stress the position of the flute in psychology and of common sense. For instance,
the left hand of the young girl ? Why not when I visited the Rothko exhibition recently at
mention the shape of the old tree, standing out the Hayward (and was very impressed) it would
so significantly against the beautiful venetian have been impossible to separate what I saw
sky ? from what I remembered reading or hearing
`The three plump babies', lastly. Are they in about Rothko. Now, referring back to recent
fact just a group of putti, as Longhi puts it, or numbers of Studio, I read again that 'The Rothko
did Titian paint two sleeping putti, being room in the Tate must be one of the most serious
climbed upon by a vigilant young amor, places in the world' (Tim Hilton, September
clinging to the phallic trunk of an old, perhaps 1970) and that one of the same Tate paintings
not completely dried-out tree ? If so, this would is 'one of the sublimest creations of our time'
obviously alter the numeriC significance of the (RiChard Wollheim, December 1970). The
An open letter to Mr Szeemann other elements used by Mr Bann in his concepts seriousness and sublimity (which
Dear Harald Szeemann, interesting, but unsatisfying interpretation. Wollheim is presumably using in the strict
`Documenta 5' will open in June, representing a There is surely too much to describe from eighteenth century sense as defined by Burke)
handful of women artists and hundreds of male what we can see in this picture, before we may are heavily laden with ideological values. What
artists —true to Documenta's past history. hunt for hidden values. Taking the numeric would it mean, in this situation, for me to have
Europeans tend to say that we, American aspect seriously I would state this about the shown 'honesty to the very experience of art' ?
women, are liberated and free, and that 'we've Titian piCture: It tells us that Life = One, and The move to eliminate ideological factors from
got it made'. Unfortunately, as it may be, one that Two = A Beautiful Number. the experience and judgment of art is itself laden
side of art is talent, the other politics and EVEN HEBBE JOHNSRUD, M.A. with a particular ideology about art.
business. You and your staff (Konrad FisCher, Oslo I My polemical tactic was, of course, to argue
et al.) by your persistence in exCluding women that Mr Elderfield in his review was a prisoner
from an international survey of this calibre, of the same model of art as were the three
have Cut into their inCome and prestige. Not revolutionary painters whom he was rebuking; thus his urging
But what we find most distasteful of all is a We have been carefully reading the theories them to criticize their own work more closely
last-minute form letter you found neCessary to expounded in Studio International and other was of limited help.
send to several women here in New York. papers on methods of seleCtion of artists for A writer on art should of course try and be
Mr Szeemann, we are not fools and we don't exhibitions, or rather the selection of selectors. relevant to the art under Consideration. But he
have time to play games. We would like to have It seems to us that if artists are to `seleCt has other responsibilities. He may surely
it on record that you asked all these women for selectors', there will be no limit to the number reserve the right, when he feels it useful, to
work information, photographs, etc., for your of artists who will claim that privilege. If the adopt as far as is possible—which is not very
documentation, then promptly turned them all alternative method is used, by which one artist far—the perspective of some ethnographer from
down previously. selects the next who nominates another and so an alien culture. The latria of a Rothko and the
It is quite obvious that you had no intention on, the resulting exhibition might be hilarious dulia of Stella, Moon and Frost both deserve
of including any of them, and we find it insulting to say the least! In any event, both methods are careful field-study.
and humiliating that you should use us, our unwieldy and time-consuming. Lastly, I am neither hostile to AmeriCan art
money, time and effort, to cover your schemes. Our own method is not revolutionary but nor in the least concerned if I am regarded as
We protest this manoeuvering and political may be of interest. We have invited three `provinCial-sounding'. My fear was that Mr
handling of serious artists. distinguished artists to exhibit here and each Elderfield was writing under some form of post-
Women's Ad Hoc Committee to introduce two nominees to show work in the hypnotic control, the repetition of injunCtions
Women in the Arts same exhibition. In one gallery will be Merlyn in the syntactic form of subtly varied assertions
New York Evans and Robert Medley and their nominees, being a technique both of hypnotic suggestion
(representing approximately 50o professional and in the print gallery Anthony Gross will and of art criticism.
women artists) show prints with two printmakers of his choice. JONATHAN BENTHALL
The exhibition will take place next year from London WI I
19 February to 21 March. Each of the three
A beautiful number artists will also be invited to have a one-man
Stephen Bann's article in the MarCh issue leaves show at another date, Robert Medley's being West London Super Girls
me with some questions which may perhaps from 22 May to 21 June this year. Are you a West London Super Girl and
interest other readers as well. JOAN CROSSLEY-HOLLAND looking for something different to do during
He gives a fair description of the Panofsky Oxford July ? If so why not Consider participating in the
method in art analyses, but he seems unaware SoCial ResourCe ProjeCt for Westminster, for
of the need for a 'pre-metonymic' interpretatior which six Super Girls are needed to help
in the case of the Titian piCture. Three Stages `My polemical tactic' operate the structure of the project.
of Man is often Classified as a typical work from May I briefly outstay the welcome of your If you think you might be interested and are
his early and giorgionesque period, this goes for columns to Comment on the exchange between aged between 18 to 3o, live in London,
thematical as well as for stylistiC properties. myself and Mr John Elderfield (March 1972) ? preferably the West side, Contact Stephen
Before we start pondering about metonymiC I shall Confine my reply to what seem to me Willats, at 5 London Mews, London W2, or
seCrets in the composition, would it not be just matters of genuine disagreement, since as phone 01-262 3032 for further details.
to compare the picture to other Titian works Mr Elderfield points out there is a measure of STEPHEN WILLATS
of the same period, and to the use of the agreement between us. London W2

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