Page 46 - Studio International - September 1974

John Panting impressive degree of independence, rapidly. The last sculptures have a art. 1969 was the year of the first real
insistently testing and challenging his great sense of momentum. boom. In Oporto a complete exhibition
John Panting was born in New own expectations. He was developing R. J. Rees of 20 paintings by Nadir Afonso was
Zealand in 1940. He studied sculpture bought by a dealer for 1200 000 000
at Canterbury University School of escudos (£20,000). From then on
Art and, after moving to London, at prices continued to rise sharply. In any
the Royal College of Art. He was one public auction in Lisbon or Oporto any
of the best younger sculptors in this relatively established Portuguese
country. He exhibited mainly abroad. painter could be sure of selling a
In 1972 he was appointed Head of the canvas for anything from 30 000 000
Sculpture School at the Central escudos (£500) to 100 000 000
School of Art and Design. In July of escudos (£1,700) and Government
this year he was killed in a motorcycle commissions for public buildings rose
accident. even more spectacularly. The total
REVIEW 4
One of the main aspects of cost of a statue in bronze of Dom
Panting's sculpture has been its Nuno Alvares Pereira on horseback,
emphasis on line as an active sited at Praca Martin Moniz in
generator of shape. This emphasis has Lisbon, was 600 000 000 escudos
been explicit throughout his career. In (£42,000 for the foundry work
much contemporary British sculpture and £18,000 for the sculptor,
drawing is treated as an imposed, Leopoldo D'Almeida). Most of
additive phenomenon. Panting the Portuguese artists profited
regarded it as intrinsic. In a series of immensely from this economically
John Panting Steel Piece 1973/74
sculptures around 1971 he subjected rewarding situation, so long as they
line to the exigencies of physical produced the kind of art acceptable to
pressure. In these works large slender Portugal the financial uppercrust : art that
metal frames are perceptibly twisted would 'soften the endurancesof life' as
by stretches of steel cable — the cable After forty-eight years of mental by PIDE agents in a Lisbon street, and 'they' put it. And so, tragically unaware
attached to the frame at specific repression, censorship and mindless Vespeira, Skapinakis and Pomar, three most of the time of what boat he was
points and then tightened. The politicization artists finally have a painters arrested for crimes of in, the Portuguese artist would paint
resulting forms are elegantly arcuate — chance of bringing to light whatever subversion without any charges being and sculpt away as if all that was
the rapid cursive line resembling the they have to offer to the challenge of officially made — not many were happening (the African wars that
whiplashed contours in forming a new society in Portugal. The prepared to face the consequences of have lasted 14 years now) had nothing
De Kooning's early paintings. final evidence of the consequences of political opposition even when they to do with him busily creating
In the following year Panting such a long period of ruthless cultural had political beliefs. There was a third something he has persuaded himself
shifted emphasis and moved away suppression has not yet been alternative of course, to go into exile. in advance was tremendously
from the tensile force of these works to disclosed and there are reasons to An insignificant number of artists did important. This vicious circle was
construct a series of abruptly believe that it will be some years this. exaggerated by Portugal's distance
rectilinear sculptures built from thin before the situation can be considered For those who remained to be from the various European art centres
lengths of square hollow-sectioned normal by the standards of other practising artists with commercial which made it even more difficult to
steel. These works, exhibited at European democracies. In the arts prospects there was a public formed of make contact with contemporary art
Felicity Samuel's Gallery during the field during these years there have only two classes — the wealthy and the movements. It all changed on 24
same year, are good but not unusual ; been only two options : either to stay poor, in this case the very poor. Thus, April.
they lack the particularity and and collaborate from a need to inevitably, the work produced had no However considering the long
idiosyncrasy of Panting's best work. survive or, by opting out, to refuse all social relevance and avoided the period of intellectual lethargy it is
The artist regarded them as interim Government commissions, all issues confronting the majority of the difficult to imagine anything really
pieces. In a subsequent series the possibility of participating in national population. No person stood a chance radical happening. It is impossible to
geometric theme was continued but and international competitions and of continuing as an artist, should they sustain sudden change. Portuguese
the order is looser and more relaxed. exhibitions and eventually to be decide to address their art to any artists have an immense and difficult
The use of line, as in the previous declared persona non grata by the audience but that of the extreme rich, task because they have to start almost
works, is still a little diagrammatic but authorities. disqualified from teaching the would-be buyers. The result was from scratch. The fact that from 24
the drawing is considerably less and, worst of all, harassed by the necessarily not a very brilliant one. The April there has been a free exchange of
descriptive, is broader and more secret police — PI DE. Idealogically, as art work was in most cases soft, vapid, ideas means that they will have to
definite. These later sculptures are is still the case with most Portuguese, mindless, at best, beautiful, in order to rethink their role in society, if a
first-rate and represent possibly a not many artists were politically comply with the expectations of the mass programme of culturization
summation of specific tendencies in conscientious. The vast majority collectors. is to succeed throughout the
Panting's development. refused to be involved in any kind of The situation deteriorated during country. There is an atmosphere that
In 1973 the artist made a opposition to the Salazar-Caetano the second half of the sixties with an favours creativity as never before.
conspicuous break with his earlier regime. Except for some celebrated accelerating economic crisis that Success will depend on the self-
work. The characteristic restraint gave examples — Dias Collho, a sculptor undermined the stock market and motivation of Portuguese artists.
way to a more impulsive, open-ended who was shot dead in broad daylight forced the big shareholders to invest in A. Queiroz-Ribeiro
approach. The initial evidence of this
Alberto Carneiro A Forest for your dreams Obidos 1970
transitional period again employed Paris
assemblages of articulated steel in
open linear configuration but with Nostalgia is a curious phenomenon
surprising results. The sculptures and the visitor to Paris is certain to
appear to be erratic clusters of oddly experience the pervasive mood of it.
angled, ill-assorted rods. The line, no Glancing backwards can take many
longer continuous, is broken and forms but all of them share a fear or a
irregular (recalling the 'visual stutter' dislike of the present and the future.
in Cezanne) and there is seemingly Nor is this surprising in the arts; for
no attempt to underpin the apparent the disputed evidence of the past has
redundancy with an immanent order. become their only unifying feature.
The usual checks and balances are The fragmentation of the moment is so
conspicuously absent. These pieces total that even the counterfeit imagery
are genuinely free. of decadence attracts longings of a
Panting's final works resist most unattractive kind. Symptomatic
generalization and are extremely in this respect is the exhibition of
diverse in content. Their level of pompier paintings in the Grand Palais,
achievement is exceptional. The the 'Musée du Luxembourg en 1874'
artist was obviously working with an show. But the less said about it the