Page 54 - Studio International - February 1974

daylight, and although others time but a connection through it is the formulation of an idea which Martin's work the titles reflect the
(notably Man Ray) were making attitude. It is a connection which has artists themselves have long final stage of the drawing, not its
similar experiments, Moholy appears lain dormant during a period of acknowledged. The sympathy of one inception. Martin has recently
to have been unaware of this at the concentration on the development of artist for another's work often emerged as a seminal figure. There is
time. It's a pity that the recently various schools of American painting. transcends all barriers of style but it a strong sense in her work of the
published facsimile edition shown by A characteristic of contemporary never transcends a belief in the truth total dominance of materials by an
Nigel Greenwood doesn't include art has been the constant challenges of the relationship between an artist awareness of time. The natural
many of the more effective between various expressions of anti- and his work. At the moment a new rhythms are neither exact nor
photograms. art and pure painting. There are two freedom is emerging which respects programmed but dependent upon the
In terms of a constructivist analysis separate histories : Cubism, an artist's attitude towards his work care which conceives them. They are
of the 'laws' of the medium, painting Constructivism, American Abstraction rather than the stylistic politics of neither tight nor precious but totally
was about pure colour-relations. and Minimalism ; the other tradition modernism. It is only natural that exposed to the nuances of a personal
Moholy's version was that developed through Dada, many painters who have clung to frailty. These nuances are the roots of
photography had relieved painting of Surrealism, Pop Art, Fluxus and this belief are beginning to be all her distinctions.
its representational function, the Conceptualism. We are not reassessed. Twombly's work is related to
photograph and photogram being accustomed to making such sharp Kelly, Martin and Twombly are all Martin's in the importance of drawing
concerned with the interaction of distinctions; Surrealism influenced painters whom it is impossible to even in a painting. Martin's drawing
image and light. But in the sparse Abstract Expressionism and define within any single tradition of defines a system of symbols and
photographic collages of the mid- Minimalism foreshadowed American painting. Kelly spent his grids where Twombly turns towards
1920s, Moholy proves that even a dematerialization. We accept formative years in France. Twombly calligraphy. It is not an enthusiasm
constructivist can play with the modernism as a historical has chosen to live in Italy. Agnes for the art of calligraphy, as in Mark
image in its own right, regardless of progression, 'the tradition of the new' Martin is more complex. She showed Tobey, but for the development of
light, and one is reminded that this we are not accustomed to recognize with Betty Parson's Gallery in the calligraphy as a catalogue of primary
was the heyday of Surrealism too. A similarities, only innovations. We do late 1950s but despite her friendship marks. The way in which lines cover
Fotoplastik could (and did) form the not think of recent art as a constant with Barnett Newman and other an area with their own rhythm.
starting point for one of Moholy's rearrangement of the same elements. major painters, she remained outside Marden and Ryman represent a
film projects; and the Fotoplastiken Their quality, depth and relationship the mainstream of American painting. more recent generation of American
themselves often seem to exist in a may alter but the actual materials She has lived for some years in New painting. They both emerged within
temporal dimension, with figures remain constant. If one can accept Mexico, virtually isolated. She a minimal framework but distinguished
precariously balanced or— like the this as an alternative view of the ceased to work from around 1967 themselves by the use of
vaudeville face poised above relationship between artists rather until very recently. Kelly and Martin monochromes which directed
disembodied hands — about to vanish. than art movements, our attitude shared a building in Coenties Slip in attention to the quality of paint.
Apart from the short sequence towards 'new' art must also alter. the late 1950s. Although there is no Their similarity goes no further.
showing the Light-Space Modulator The combination of minimal formal connection between their Ryman's work has been an expansive
in action, Moholy's films are seldom sculpture and dematerialization work, there is a strong sympathy exploration of materials and the
seen. But the Fotoplastiken, with overshadowed the development of between their respective attitudes to qualities and types of white paint.
their strange dislocations of scale, minimal painting in the mid-1960s. painting. They are both involved in Although his work always contains
give a refreshing glimpse of what he Europe became aware of minimal and simplification and natural rhythms. painting, the extreme changes in
could do in a medium which allowed conceptual work almost This aspect is often overlooked in materials, surfaces and his use of
him to work both 'representationally' simultaneously. As a result painting Kelly's work but it has remained an impermanence and accident, has
and freely. appeared to be in a less crucial important aspect of his extensive explicitly questioned the limits of
Caroline Fawkes position than sculpture. The idea of series of flower drawings. Both painting. Marden has developed a
Conceptualism as a challenge to painters use descriptive titles but in very particular surface on his
Strata painting is largely a European paintings, achieved by a mixture of
Agnes Martin
paintings drawings and prints by problem. In New York the two Spring Field, undated, 8 1/8 in. sq. encaustic wax and oil paint.
Ellsworth Kelly, Brice Marden, activities were not considered
Agnes Martin, Robert Ryman and mutually exclusive ; Conceptualism
Cy Twombly, at the Royal College did not appear to exclude either an
of Art Galleries, London, 14 January— appreciation or an acceptance of
mid- February. painting. The logic was simply that
In the past twelve months there has Conceptualism did undermine
been a series of exhibitions painting but from an external
throughout Europe which have position. A position which left a
defined a new attitude towards natural space for painting to
painting. They included Michel continue to question its own function.
Claura's exhibitions in Paris, What is important about the
'Arte Come Arte' in Milan and European attitude is the sense of
'Prospect 74' in Düsseldorf. The extremes. An attitude which has
questions which these exhibitions more traditional associations with
raised came partly from the American art. The intensity of the
involvement in their organization of European exposure to
people who had been exclusively Conceptualism has led to an
connected with Conceptualism. exhaustive and complex attitude
Apart from this question the towards the function of art and in this
exhibitions attempted to define a context the function of painting. The
development in painting. A unbroken development of American
development which does not rely painting during the past six years has
on either new paintings or new led them to a less questioning position
painters. A new refinement of but more productive models. The
attitudes towards the activity of increase in exchanges between
painting would be a more accurate Europe and the USA has allowed a
statement. Attempts have been made younger generation of European
to bring some of these exhibitions to painters to develop an important
London but they proved financially distinction between the intention
impossible. The exhibition at the and the reality of their American
RCA only deals with a single aspect of models.
the material shown at those When a revision occurs in the
exhibitions and even this aspect has apparent order of art it also instigates
been limited to the work available in a change in the understanding of
London. The painters do not existing artists and art objects. If
constitute one group or a period of there is a simple key to this exhibition