Page 13 - Studio International - February 1974

because most of them were young and since achieved worldwide recognition, found (Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro-
comparatively unknown. But there is another Zagreb the only place in which they could Herzegovina, Slovenia and Macedonia) than to
reason. participate in an international exhibition. The export the best of Yugoslav art. (Much better
Up to and after the war the majority of Yugoslays, in their efforts to get into the was the selection for the Premio Michetti.)
painters throughout the country were still mainstream of international artistic activity, Perhaps, as I suspect, having visited some of the
painting in what may be called the impressionist chose areas where they had something to offer, artists' studios, Yugoslav artists are far too
manner, with occasional expressionist gestures. whether it was unique or had not been thought extended, and they can only just scrape together
It was, generally speaking, bourgeois art. Now, of by anyone else or had been rejected by enough works for one exhibition.
as anyone who has studied Russian socialist- everyone else in the field. These exhibitions The critics who wield so much power seem
realist art even superficially must have noticed, demonstrate the width of Yugoslav artistic exceptionally poor. When I say 'exceptionally' I
it is, in its quieter and less heroic moments, interest. It ranges from naive or folk art, which have in mind the generally low standard of
bourgeois : happy peasants reaping, laughing could easily be accepted within the socialist- criticism in the West. I was slightly alarmed
children, happy families. It requires no great realist canon, to avant-garde art of the most when, having made what I thought were some
ingenuity on the part of an artist to turn a abstract kind. rather obvious and trite remarks about the work
picture of naked boys emerging from the sea This total permissiveness is unique to of one artist, I was greeted with the
into an acceptable socialist-realist picture : some Yugoslavia among communist countries. In reply: `I am beginning to like you. You are the
such title as The Lunch Break does the trick. certain countries, particularly Poland and the first critic who has understood what I am
Add to this the occasional picture of a moment Hungary, an artist can paint more or less what trying to do.'
in the fight for liberation or a portrait of a he likes, but will not necessarily get state aid, Without a body of serious critics — and this
prominent Partisan leader, and the impression and life may be difficult for him. If he is excludes the gallery directors, who write
given is that of conformity to the official party permitted to plough his lone furrow, this is a criticism which is generally very good — and
line. As long as that line was not pursued too matter of indulgence. Artists who can support without the help of private commercial
conscientiously and ruthlessly (as it was not), themselves by their art — known as `free' galleries, the artists have to struggle. But Ldid
the surrealists were in no danger. artists — are as rare in Yugoslavia as in the West, not come across any artist over thirty who was
recognition.
Unlike other communist countries, probably rarer, because of the absence of turning out good work who had not received
Yugoslavia did not subsidize its artists. This private commercial galleries.
meant that they had to fend for themselves, but Although there is a difference of opinion on CYRIL BARRETT
also that they did not have to conform to this question, it seems clear to me (having
certain ideological requirements. Russian-type consulted lawyers there) that there is in 'Art-Language' at the
communism persisted in Yugoslavia for little principle no reason why private commercial
more than three years, and by 1948 Yugoslavia galleries should not operate. I am told that there Lisson Gallery
had become estranged from Stalin. is at least one such gallery in Dubrovnik. The A heuristic device with which to approach this
The breaking off of relations with the Soviet reason alleged for their illegality is not show might be 'encounter' — which would
Union did not have much immediate effect on convincing. It is said that there is a principle include `game' : it is activist inasmuch as it
Yugoslav artists. It did have an indirect effect, that no one can sell the work of someone else's provides a rich context for dealing with the
both far-reaching and important. Having hand. If this were so, then shoe shops, problems it is about. That is to say that the
broken with Russian, President Tito turned for haberdashers, furniture shops, etc. would be out notion of 'spectator' here doesn't pertain to
support to the West. This in due course meant of business, but there are many such enterprises passivity (and is strongly conceived not as a
that the isolationist policies adopted by other in private hands. The real reason for the tabula rasa for information, as for `experience').
communist countries were gradually absence of private galleries is that the tax on Quite the reverse in fact: the pre-conceptions
abandoned. By the early 195os Yugoslav artists them is so high that they would not pay. of an audience, the difficulties in getting ahead
had free access to the West, but this contact was The prospects for the artist are, therefore, which the work presents — i.e. the pragmatic
not enough. Yugoslav artists and, even more, somewhat grimmer than those of his Western dimension — is the focus of all the work. It will
directors of galleries felt that until they had counterpart. His only hopes of financial be clearer here if we look at the parts of the
brought the world to their door they were still success are either that his work should be exhibition in some order. This is possible
as isolated as between 1945 and 49. Between commissioned or bought by the state or some because the same sort of thing is, broadly at
1952 and 1961 they inaugurated the first state-owned orgization, or that he should be least, the object of consideration in each. The
international exhibition of naive art, the first selected to exhibit abroad and might attract the posters formalize a notion of two domains of
international exhibition of graphics and the attention of foreign galleries and foreign discourse within everyday language — `theirs/
first 'New Tendency' exhibition. Here I must clients. He might attract native clients, and ours' and `ours/mine' — [in terms of two Boolean
confine myself to some general observations there are a large number of wealthy Yugoslays, lattices of finite combinatorial possibilities in a
about them. I would like to mention, however, or he might be lucky enough to live in an area non-Boolean (infinite) lattice]. They go on to
that not only did conceptual art form part of where there is a public selling gallery, but at postulate the only conditions under which a
this year's New Tendency exhibition, but one the moment, these are rare. statement in the `our/my' domain is a statement
conceptualist group, OHO, which came into But these tribulations are compounded when in the 'theirs/ours' domain, or vice versa, viz. the
existence in 1969 and exhibited widely, has it is realized that the artist's fate rests in the two `extremes' of statements either continually
already considered its mission accomplished. first instance not on the judgment of an absurd or continually accepted. Any statement
In each case the exhibitions were within the entrepeneur who is prepared to put more than falling in the grey area between this black and
resources of a comparatively poor nation. In his reputation at risk, but on the judgment of white is (postulated as being) in either the one
those days naive art did not fetch the prices it officials and critics, most of whom, as far as I domain or the other, but not both. Of course,
does today. The same may be said about could see, were mainly concerned with `normally' meaningful statements (whatever,
graphics, and they are cheap to transport. The advancing their own interests. Two exhibitions they are) fall in this sector — so the formalization
international exhibitions of naive art at Zagreb of Yugoslav contemporary art organized this is pursued for the conjunction of statements
and of graphics at Ljubjiana are still the largest year, one in Coventry, the other in Budapest from either domain, neither of which is
exhibitions of their kind in the world. As for the (I saw one, I have the catalogue of the other continually absurd, and for a disjunction,
`New Tendency', in 1961 artists such as Le before me) seem to have been motivated more neither of which is continually accepted.
Parc, Morrellet, Mack and Uecker, who have by a desire to win favour in all six republics This notion of relations between two
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