Page 69 - Studio International - November 1973

Paul Klee, who exhibited in the second students of Klee's work, Christian Geelhar also the Leonard Hutton Galleries and at the Lincoln
Blaue Reiter show, and who had become one has little to say about the artist's greatest Centre in New York, while emphasizing
of Kandinsky's closest friends in Munich, was attribute: his sense of humour. Klee, from different areas and different names, did find
but half-formed as a painter by the outbreak of whom Steinberg learned so much, was the common ground in their mutual advocation of
war. He had already demonstrated his master of visual wit, and his often Jean Pougny. The fact that we saw canvases and
prodigious gifts as draughtsman and etcher but untranslatable, punning titles are a constant reliefs by him at the former and stage designs by
not until 1914, when he visited North Africa source of delight. The unnamed translator of him at the latter indicated, even to the casual
with Macke, did he consider himself to be a this book has done well with most of the titles, viewer, that here was a versatile, professional
painter. The light and scenery of Tunis made but the text is inelegantly done. One final, artist whose early Russian work was equally as
a dramatic impact on Klee (as, indeed, it did on carping point: can translators please strike inventive and dynamic (if not more so) as that
Macke) and his most characteristic work dates Burgomaster from their dictionaries ? Doesn't of his more celebrated French period. Indeed,
from then. At the Bauhaus from 1921 however, `mayor' do so much better ? D as if to confirm this ostensible dichotomy, one
Klee reached his peak, both as an artist and FRANK WHITFORD collector at the Hutton vernissage asked me
theoretician. whether this Pougny had anything to do with
It is often said that the war killed the Parisian painter of that name.
Expressionism, but it lived on in a rarified form Not The book The excellent monograph by MM. Berninger
at Gropius's school which, ironically, is The Book of Flowers by Alice M. Coats. 208 pp, and Carder confirms one's suspicion that what
popularly thought of as the stronghold of pure 126 illustrations, 40 in colour. Phaidon. £12.00. Pougny was doing in Russia and Berlin was
reason and functional design. For, far from both more original and more composite (in the
being staffed with functionalist designers and `The Book of Flowers', from its imposing title, sense that he breathed the same highly charged
architects, the Bauhaus began life with a staff might be thought to be the flower book to end ether as Malevich, Tatlin, et al.) than his later,
composed almost entirely of painters, and all flower books, and that would indeed be so-called classical work. What strikes the
expressionist painters at that. Feininger is a something when you consider the competition reader immediately is the meticulous
special case, but what do we make of Itten and over the last five hundred years. However, on presentation of the book itself, for the
Muche, eccentric cranks who followed weird closer inspection (inside the cover) there is a restrained yet impressive lay-out, the art
pseudo-religions, subjected themselves to subtitle - 'Four Centuries of Flower Illustration' paper, the fine colour and monochrome
unusual diets and wandered around in monkish - and that is further qualified in the preface to reproductions and the textual organization
habits designed by themselves ? `flowers represented on paper or vellum, not indicate that this is a labour of love, a book
Kandinsky was also there from 1922 and, those in painting or in the innumerable applied compiled by genuine connoisseurs and not by
with Klee, he dominated the school. They arts ... nearly all are from printed books'. hack researchers. The division of the contents
must have been like some central European In the 'Index Londinensis to Illustrations of into four basic sections - descriptive biography,
music-hall duo, a constant source of amusement Flowering Plants and Ferns' (OUP 1941), there translated documentary material, detailed list of
and frustrated rage for the students, who were are listed over 20,000 figures of flowers paintings, sculptures and graphics and
taught one thing by one, only to have it published under botanical names between 1753 bibliography - emphasizes the serious approach
contradicted by the other. Kandinsky was and 193o. 'The Book of Flowers', which covers to the subject, even though the first part might
quickly nicknamed Herr Gott because of his the period 1485 to 185o, has 126 plates, 40 of appear at times episodic and unreliable to the
ex cathedra pronouncements and his almost which are in colour, and as with any such seeker of hard facts. But at the same time this
daily circulation of the artistic equivalent of drastic distillation, one is bound to disagree with division gives the whole work a sense of balance
Papal Bulls. Kandinsky was stern and some of the selections (Nicholas Robert is given by providing appeal both to the specialist and to
proscriptive; Klee modest, amusing and less than his due, Alexander Marshall is not the casual reader.
empirical. But, following different routes, they there at all, etc.). However, given the difficulties With the new and developing interest in
arrived at different points of the same terminus and limitations (modern printing not least), Russian Modernism, this book appears at an
and, in so doing, stimulated or irritated their this is a fine book. Alice Coats accompanies each opportune time and helps to fill what is still a
students into educating themselves. plate with a highly informed and often amusing large aesthetic gap in our over-all appreciation
The activities of both, and of their colleagues, commentary, and the large format ensures that of twentieth-century European culture. It
are discussed in Eberhard Roters's brilliant the plates are not cramped. Also, she has contributes to our reserve of knowledge
study (now, alas, out of print) 'Painters of the deliberately chosen much of her material from precisely because it does not remain blindly
Bauhaus'. The same publisher has now brought rare sources, e.g. the beautiful Clematis from `biographical', but attempts to place Pougny in
out 'Paul Klee at the Bauhaus' which in 174 `Icones Plantarum Floram Rossicam' (K. F. the general perspective of the Russian avant
pages does less than Roters achieved in a single Ledebour), which adds greatly to the interest. garde, so that frequent references are made to
chapter. This is a great shame, for the book RORY MCEWEN the other leaders - Larionov, Malevich,
itself is beautiful: immaculately designed, Rozanova and Tatlin among them. In this
printed and bound and with superb tipped-in context useful information is given on
colour plates. Although its author, Christian Real nose important exhibitions of the period, including
Geelhar, deals well with the work itself and Pougny (Iwan Puni). Catalogue de l'oeuvre. some of the 'Union of Youth' sessions,
without the mumbo-jumbo usually inspired by Tome I: Les années d' avant-garde, Russie- `Tramway V' and `0.10', and on the genesis
this difficult artist (the various categories into Berlin, 1910-1923 by Herman Berninger and and development of Suprematism and Russian
which the paintings' subjects are divided are ad Jean-Albert Cartier. 256 pp, 1200 copies (in abstractionism. The latter is of particular
elegant device), the biography is but sketchily French). Editions Ernst Wasmuth, Tubingen, interest since we tend to associate Malevich and
related. Almost nothing is said about Klee's 1972. some of his disciples such as Klyun and
pre-Bauhaus life, and details of his day-to-day Chashnik with the formulation and practice of
activities in Weimar and Dessau are only Over recent years the Western world has been Suprematism, rather than anyone else. But if,
touched upon. His relations with his colleagues hearing more and more about Russia's 'lost as it now seems probable, Suprematism was
could have provided fascinating anecdotes avant garde' and names such as Larionov, evolved not in 1913, but in 1915, then Pougny
as, indeed, could his attitude to the political Malevich, Pougny (Puni) and Tatlin have been deserves to share the laurels - as his surface and
intrigues which eventually drove the school out presented to us in the form of several articles, relief abstract compositions of that time indicate
of Weimar to Dessau. Like all the other auctions and exhibitions. The recent shows at so convincingly. In this respect it is rewarding

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