Page 64 - Studio International - June 1974

though their manner remains as light factors, compared, contradicted, shape of the glass or still life or Colnaghi's will no doubt be keen for
and as throw-away as his previous paralleled, demanding recognition. figure ; Malevich — his forms in space some of the paintings to find homes
works. The works in the exhibition do Each element crosses between four becoming the space itself. in public museums where they will
not in the same sense make comment vertical constants — a vertical bar with The mixed media prints analyze all be available for all to see and where
on the surrounding developments in the diagonal whipping off it a these elements, compartmentalizing their price-tags will be of only
art. The concern seems to be the more diagonal bar with a vertical whipping their variables. Colour and Space, 2 marginal interest. And of course with
traditional one of appearance and up from it, the vertical crossing it, the Horizons divides the paper in two; in a little bit of art historical knowledge
reality, perhaps best mastered in diagonal crossing it. The constant one half the perspective triangle we can detach the paintings, as it
recent times by Andy Warhol. vertical permits random distribution of exists as the textural space, in the were, from their frames, from off their
(Baldessari's concerns have always the notation but controls the incidents other as line. In one portion of Space silken walls, out of their cabinets and
been like Warhol's). But their within it ; the fulcrum — a horizontal/ and Colour, Points in Space the circle into the light of history. When the
execution is, I find, somewhat vertical divider hinging the notation paintings at Colnaghi's are set in their
disappointing. One of the works on and impinged by it, compositional context they achieve a wider and
show consists of several colour balance ; chromatic movement — the deeper interest which is somehow
photographs of the artist's face with contrast between hard plain surface belied by their isolated presences
changes imposed in the series in the and surface movement—green today.
coloration of the hair, absence and mauve/red/mauve/green ochre/wine It is true that the delicious Wynants
presence of hair and so on. Where red. Landscape with fallen tree was always
his earlier works seem like a Secure in his structure he now a cabinet picture, with its glowing
cultivated ham-fistedness dealt to the blends the subjective with the harmony of pinks, ochres and blues
subtle issue confronting the mechanistic, introducing contrasting
practising artist, this work seems to be surfaces, activating the field with
ham-fisted t: its detriment, and non- luscious, squashy, proportional,
deliberately. Another work in the qualitative marks, containing the
exhibition consists of a series of black
and white photographs of head and
shoulders (belonging to the artist's
students). Blocking out the face of
each is a label signed 'John 8th April
'74,' and in another series it is labelled
by the name of the student, eg
'Nancy 4th March '74.' The old
interest in the relation between fact
and artifact maybe ? I must confess to
be tired of seeing the repetitious Lanfranco The Widow of Sarepta giving bread
reassertions by artists of the to Elias c 1627
Colnaghi Gallery, London
slenderness of the artist's 'magical'
signature. The identity issues providing not only a visual delight to
expounded by Duchamp and later by the connoisseur, but standing as an
conceptual art are now well-trodden example of the type of painting which
ground. Baldessari's footprints in that Gainsborough loved and which he
territory are scarcely recognizable. emulated in his early 'Dutch' style.
Rosetta Brooks But the Rubens, Peace Embracing
Plenty and the Lanfranco, The
component colours of the colour (Top) Peter Kalkhof Vanishing Point 1973 Widow of Sarepta giving bread to
Acrylic on canvas 104 x 116 in.
Cohn Cina at Angela Flowers, elements themselves, building from Elias were not originally treasures of
(Above) Colin Cina Homage to the n-gram
London, 2-25 May and Peter them, letting them dominate. In 1974 Acrylic on canvas, 84 x126 in. the art world. The Rubens is an oil
Kalkhof at AnnelyJuda Fine Art, MH/40 and MH/39 the peripheral sketch for the Whitehall Banqueting
London, 24 April-25 May. notations operate on dark/light grey House ceiling, only half a mile or so
With all the one-night stands and and dark/light green grounds. is divided in four, pure line, structural from Colnaghi's. It was possibly
repeat performances around it is good Homage to the n-gram crystalizes the space and colour field. In the lower shown to Charles I by the artist for
to see the extended runs of Kalkhof module of that 1/16 of a second of portion of Space and Colour, his approval and was almost certainly
and Cina, cinerama flash and panache. experience, the instant when the Vanishing PointNthe perspective lines used in the painter's studio when he
Both regenerate themselves out of the factors of simultaneity and scanning become colour spectrum, red/yellow was transferring his designs on to
process that evolved from the concept begin to operate at the same time. to blue/green. The vast paintings large canvases. It was a practical,
rather than actually embellish it; both To eliminate organic associations imply the sum of the analysis. The useful object.
work with and around a small Peter Kalkhof has worked through cosmic circle unites the infinite blue The Lanfranco is a wonderfully
vocabulary of forms and elements; horizontals and verticals, proportional and finite red/yellow of Colour and tough, earthy painting on coarse-
both acknowledge Constructivism colour usually in a cruciform image. Space, Hot Centre. The blazing, grained canvas. The strong brown
and Suprematism, thus exhibiting the The straight lines have expanded into tactile, triangle vanishes into the tones, the reds and ochres and
problem of subsuming both under the colour fields, metaphors for infinite white hot horizon of Colour and challenging passages of thick white,
masthead of the non-objective world, space, mystical force. His tools are Space, Vanishing Point. Floor Piece — as well as the strongly-marked
for in Russian object (predmet) colour—the meeting in space of Colour and Space Opposites three- silhouette of the woman, were not
means both thing and theme, ie idea, spiritual blue, physical aggressive red dimensionalizes form and content meant to be seen on the walls of a
and logically 'non-objective' would and yellow, oppositional forces; line— into square unstretched canvas and gallery, but in the uncertain light of
include Cina's structural ambition but as circle, a point of motion indicating pyramid. the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament
exclude Kalkhof's concretization of unity in cosmic terms, as perspective, Jennifer Ode in the Church of St. Paul's-without-
the idea. a point in space emphasizing the the-walls in Rome. It is one of eight
Cina changed his mind about contrast in the gradation of colour Paintings by Old Masters at large pictures painted for this chapel
making process paintings; messages fields, between plane and light; P. and D. Colnaghi and Co. Ltd., by Lanfranco prior to its consecration
of man's ability to create perfect forms tactile surfaces implying the contrast London, 21 May-22 June. in 1625: the whole series supports
and his inadequacy in relation to between fine gradated fields and My first impression at Colnaghi's and underlines in a tough dogmatic
them ; treatises on the nature of the structural space, the mystery of cloud spring exhibition was that here were way the doctrine of
minimal. He wanted to make formation or mountain top, is it up forty-two good old master paintings, Transubstantiation at a time when the
something that would create its own there or down here. His influences are exhibited in a plush, hushed gallery, Protestant Reformation was
environment and field sensations, Rothko—the force of the colour field probably (I saw the exhibition before challenging some of the doctrines of
that would make people beyond mere surface, beyond the it was up) in rich gilt frames, which the Roman Catholic Church. Two of
simultaneously scan the surface and physical act of putting paint on canvas will no doubt achieve prices which the key paintings in the series, The
read it as a totality. He could slow working with material; Kandinsky— make the average man's salary look Multiplication of the Loaves and
down perceptual simultaneity the symbology of colour, its own like half-penny pieces. Probably such Fishes, and the Last Supper itself, are
through a vocabulary of structural meaning separate from the actual a thought can be described as naive : now in the National Gallery of Ireland.