Page 48 - Studio-International-January-1974

artist to be considered for commission talking to make a study of
Germany in Australia. Spain handwriting. As a sculptor, he works
Another West German artist, the simply and safely. Made, one
In October it is Art Fairs and Art internationally known wood-carver Raphael Canogar at the Juana imagines, from black paint on cloth
Markets, rather than exhibitions, that Hap Grieshaber, is currently Mordo Gallery, Madrid, 23 October- and plaster over wire, the bound,
determine the art scene, and, faced expanding his market in East 17 November 1973. gagged and blindfolded figure in one
with art in such quantity, art criticism Germany and the East European I read with fascination in one of the work has got as far in his bid for
adopts a priori an attitude of states. Grieshaber was West polite English newspapers, a light- freedom as breaking through the
scepticism. Whilst most of those Germany's commissar at this year's hearted, holiday-making journalist's top right corner of a canvas, into
participating in the Kunstmarkt in Rostock Biennale, which finished at report from Spain, a country which life-like three-dimensions.
Cologne and the Internationaler the end of September. He showed his appeared to him to be far from Similarly, in another, outstretched arms
Markt für aktuellе Kunst (International great carving Die Sintflut (The Flood). 'groaning under a fiendish fascist plead from the interior of a gallery
Market for Present-day Art) in The work has now gone on to tyranny'. He saw, through his plynth for mercy; an unseen
Dusseldorf claimed to be optimistic Denmark. As commissar, Grieshaber sunglasses, a people who on the truncheon is about to crack an unseen
during the course of these functions, it stubbornly overbore the resistance of whole 'looked rather happier and skull. La policia en accion fully
now appears that the results in terms his former pupils Horst Antes, calmer than most of the people in describes the swing of the club, the
of the numbers of visitors and of sales Schimansky and Josua Reichert, who democratic England ... nor did they pathetic inefficacy of hands as a
concluded were less good than are naturally felt in East Germany to be seem to be going about in fear of the
people had initially been willing to avant garde or formalistic, although police.. '
admit. Some of the best-known they are nothing of the kind. When
German gallery-owners have eventually there is a cultural
since openly expressed their agreement between West and East
disappointment, and the foreigners Germany, the general hope here is for
who participated at Cologne and better joint working and an expansion
Dusseldorf were also unable to do the of artistic interchange.
business they had expected. Calls for Among the current exhibitions, that
change have consequently been in Munich of Edvard Munch's
made, and we shall wait to see what classical Expressionism made a strong
changes do come about. It is not to be impression on me. There is also much
expected, however, that the Cologne pleasure to be had in Düsseldorf from
and Dusseldorf Art Markets will Stefan Wewerka's 'distorted world',
merge (though that might be the most though I find his objects, often
sensible thing), but if both functions grotesque in their effect, better than
go ahead next year, as is likely, one his pictures and graphics. The
can be sure that fewer galleries will be Baukunst-Galerie in Cologne is
taking part than this year. showing a retrospective of the
The reason why the sales results Hamburg painter and graphic artist
were poor in patches is not on this Paul Wunderlich. Refinement and
occasion attributable to the material mannerism often make this artist's
on offer, which — in part at least — was colour lithographs valuable pieces, A work by Canoga
excellent, but to limited receptivity and, after twenty years' work,
among buyers. The number of active Wunderlich has secured himself a authority.. .' shield. Tiro alblanco (Target
collectors is indeed known, but— place as one of the leading graphic Are we to take it, then, that a practice) is a 3-D policeman firing
since art dealers must always be artists. persecution complex has led the into a 2-D crowd. There's nothing
optimistic — is constantly In the Kunsthalle in Baden-Baden Spanish sculptor/painter Raphael very subtle about Canogar's humour,
overestimated. Business in editions of the first Pre-Raphaelite exhibition Canogar to dedicate himself since choice of subject or manner of
graphics at the Frankfurt Book Fair shown on the continent can be seen 1949 to the making of images of a description .His message is
was also unusually bad, and, until the end of February : it opened at shot-at, down-trodden, mindlessly straightforward and is handled
according to information publishers the end of November, and I will be law-abiding people, and that the bluntly. The word 'libertad' is
gave me, the situation in the graphics reporting on it. The two hundred or so frequent appearance in his work of scribbled throughout the city, in lifts,
market in West Germany is pretty works come mainly from English beatings and various forms of bondage telephone booths, on walls. Canogar,
catastrophic at the moment. This has museums, and I shall make mention derives from some fetish ? Should he engaged in the same activity, gains
also hit the large portfolio Hommage a now of the catalogue, with its 400 too have spent the summer gamboling urgency by his lack of sophistication.
Picasso, costing DM 50,000 (not an pages and 200 reproductions. The in the 'lush green valleys (crammed In the Human Landscape series, a
above-average price), which was said works come from 55 collections, and with every kind of wild flower) of human form stretched horizontally
to have been fully subscribed already. among the 'angry Victorians' are the Asturian mountains', while his across the bottom of a plain ground,
The author of currently the most artists such as Ruskin, Ford Madox gallery, the Juana Mordo, was is loosely described in terms of a
amusing German art book, Brown, Holman Hunt, Rossetti, suffering the spray-paint attacks of crumpled jacket and trousers. Poor
Kunstwetterlage (Art weather Burne-Jones and many more. This the extreme right-wing Guerillas de painting, wonky relief-work, but so
situation), the writer and film-maker exhibition of English painters of the Christi Rey, a band of thugs who much more eloquent in its description
Gerd Winkler, whom I met in the second half of the nineteenth century enjoy police protection ? of 'that which shouldn't be' than, to
studio of sculptor Otto Herbert Hajek, has already aroused considerable Spaniards love looking at pick the obvious and expensive
told me that the art portfolio was interest. It was only the year before themselves, and the Madrilenos comparison, Kienholz's'Documenta'
going very badly, despite international last that the Stuttgart Staatsgalerie currently have ample opportunity to horror scene, which used huge
distribution. The sculptor was making acquired a Burne-Jones picture do so as the State is presenting the American cars with lights full-beam
his final preparations for a trip to cycle—from an American collection ! art of Eduardo Sanz, a man who to illuminate the all-American red-
Australia, where he is to stay until the Gunther Wirth makes elaborate decorative nothings necks castrating the nigger; so much
end of November. Hajek — who is also (Translated from the German by with mirrors; yet Canogar, at the more potent than modern, puking,
chairman of the Deutscher John Wheelright) small Mordo gallery, can easily rival face-contorting, northern - European
Künstlerbund (German Artists' Sanz in terms of show attendance. performance-art, which reeks more
Federation), which is to have its big Why? Could it be that Canogar's than anything, of left-wing
annual exhibition in Berlin in black, dejected figures reflect more sanctimoniousness. David Medalla
December—has been invited by the of the truth than the gaudy glass at criticized Kienholz as being a purveyor
Adelaide Festival Centre to lay out the Sala de Exposiciones ? Could it of unpleasantness without providing
part of the piazza of the cultural Apology: In Gunther Wirth's report also be that polite English any answers. While I can't see that
centre there. The artist, who recently from Germany (Review 9, November newspapers employ half-wits ? On Medalla's play -things would help
discussed this in London with John 1973) the reference to Mark Boyle's the last two counts my answer one out of a fix, I agree that an art of
Baley, Adelaide's museum director, work which reads 'I find Boyle's would lean heavily in the direction pure complaint is of little value.
told me he will be proposing objects inconsequential' should read of the affirmative. Canogar, however, might well
'colourways' and 'city symbols' for the 'I find Boyle's objects As a painter, Canogar is please the ICA division of Mao's
piazza. Hajek is the first West German consequential'. uninteresting ; he is too involved in embroidery guild. He balances his
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