Page 50 - Studio International - January February 1975

in the conclusion, we are once more chart, Fontaine is described seven times need to be denoted physicality and may
assured that everything is governed by a in different words and its content is be a study of premises governing this
`pre-existing rationality' which is the finally explained in a single sentence: it is, denotation', claim Ian Burn and 51
same in the universe as it is in the human we learn, 'some kind of modernist Mel Ramsden. 57 The work of art itself is
mind." sculpture involving projection of water', no longer necessary; in fact, we need to
Just as for all dogmatic rationalists, so and all we hear about it further is that its declare a sort of 'moratorium of things'. 5"
for Lévi-Strauss the existence of art is structure does not relate to 'aether' but The hypothesis that is put forward on the
disturbing, even when he accepts only rather to the 'water' of hermetic first page of the first issue of
antiquated forms. 'The role of the doctrines. There is no argument; the Art-Language, then, logically follows
aesthetic imagination,' he assures us at assertions are quite arbitrary and from their position that:
first, is only in the elaboration of extremely doubtful (`modernist `This editorial, in itself an attempt to
classificatory systems'," and poetic sculpture' ? 'projection of water' ? evince some outlines as to what
inspiration consists in games of Burnham apparently does not know the "conceptual art" is, is held out as a
combination, in a 'mechanism' : any range of meaning covered by the French "conceptual art" work'. 51
other point of view is 'extremely ancient word 'fontaine'). Several members of the Art-Language
mysticism'.50 But this does not prevent The reader might also be interested group today deny that they were ever
him from thinking that a composer is to know why, in Boite-en-valise there are, interested in the meaning of Duchamp's
`a being equal to the gods' 51 and that according to Burnham, 68 reproductions. ready-mades."" But one of the group's
through his work we may attain 'a sort of Burnham's answer : because there are not basic theses is the reduction of artistic
immortality'. 52 After having denied any 69. He claims that the absence of the creation to propositional logic: 'Artwork
aesthetic meaning to the symbolism of sixty-ninth symbolically reveals the is a propositional factor rather than a
myth (or rather having removed it `human sexual' meaning of the collection. non-propositional entity', that is, one can
through his interpretation), he comes to This meaning can be found on page 83 make the proposition 51 . is an artwork'
the surprising conclusion that the very of Burnham's book. (In fact there are about anything and the object of that
fact that myth 'is attracted towards 71 reproductions; and in the final proposition 'does not require 51 51 . the
meaning 51 51 . as if by a magnet' results in version 83.) characteristics of art-ness'. It is clear
`a virtual vacuum of sound' which the that such sentences could not have been
narrator fills with prosodic, declamatory 9. written were it not for the existence of
Leonardo liked to draw attention to
or theatrical aesthetic elements. 53 Thus the difference between painting and Duchamp's ready-mades.
we have arrived once more at the theory sculpturing. The sculptor, he said, `by But here is precisely where the
of 'poetic devices'. the strength of his arms and his misunderstanding begins. Kosuth dates
Structuralism was the analysis of a hammering removes the exterior from the origin of conceptual art 'with the
work of art; neo-structuralism banishes marble or other stone 51 51 . while his sweat first unassisted ready-made',62 but in
art from the world. For Jean Piaget, and the grit mingle into mud, his face is fact all Duchamp's ready-mades are in
structure has become a mere grimy, and he is quite white with dust'. some way 'assisted' - the object is always
system of transformations .. . that But the painter 'sits in complete comfort modified in some way by the artist's
maintains or enriches itself by the very before his easel, handsomely dressed 51 51 51 intervention and thus its original
play of its transformations 51 51 . without and often works to the accompaniment of significance is in some special way shifted
these themselves going beyond its music or readings from many excellent or cancelled out; the object is placed
limits or appealing to external works, to which he listens with great illogically, or is incomplete, or it bears an
elements. 51 delight, undisturbed by the clanging of inscription. (There was even an
The whole universe is now a hammers or other loud noises'. inscription on the original
mechanical automaton in which all Leonardo's description of work in a Sèche-bouteille). Of course Duchamp himself
becoming is no more than a regrouping of painter's studio is undoubtedly encouraged misinterpretation by his
structural configurations, a gigantic fictitious. He was trying to rid painting of statement, for example, that he 'was
kaleidoscope. Man is merely one of the the derogatory aura of an 'ars vulgaris' or interested in ideas - not merely in visual
many signs in a linguistic schema, an craft, as it was considered then, and to products'," and even that he considered
object among objects, and with his gain for it the dignity of an 'ars liberalis' the material product itself as
subjectivity disappear as well his wonder, like grammar, mathematics or music. unnecessary, that it was enough for him
joy, fear, love, poetry, creation, Today, the exact sciences have to live and breathe. But all these
consciousness 51 everything that makes triumphed and many artists might wish statements come from the time when he
him a man. for the same respect as scientists have, had abandoned work on the Large Glass
Burnham faithfully continues in this and for art to be considered a branch of and which, in truth, was a long period of
neo-structuralism and its objective, scholarship. Joseph Kosuth leads the creative crisis; and when later he worked
scientific interpretations : visitors to his exhibitions to a table secretly on his Etant donnés, he used
Effective art analysis must presuppose where paperback literature or files with these statements as a deliberate source of
that the historical consistency of art documents are laid out: the gallery has mystification. Moreover, it is from that
(call it aesthetics) is due to a highly become a reading-room. Bernar Venet later period of his work that we have the
sophisticated, but hidden, logical exhibits enlarged pages of abstruse most important and clearly the most
structure observed without exception scientific books. The magazine open declaration by Duchamp, the short
by all successful artists. Art-Language is laid out like a scientific text called 'The Creative Act', first
The origin of structuralism in the report; it overflows with references to the delivered as a lecture in Houston in 1957
milieu of modern art has escaped him : theory of logic; it tells us that Duchamp's and printed many times since then. In
with the exception of one doubtful L.H.O.O.Q. may be transcribed as this text, Duchamp lays to rest forever
reference to Jakobson as an A(x)(y), Picabia's replica as the legend that the mere transmission of
`anthropologist', I cannot find a single (A(x)(y))(~y) and Duchamp's Rasée as the artist's ideas may be considered a
mention of either the Russian formalists (A(x)(y))( x)( y) 51 without, work of art in itself. He says it clearly
or the continuation of their work in the unfortunately, anything having been and simply at the outset:
Cercle linguistique de Prague. On the clarified by this. The magazine does not An artist acts like a mediumistic being;
other hand, he combines Lévi-Strauss's deign to use illustrations. all his decisions in the artistic
doctrine with Barthes's semiology and Kosuth finds his justification in execution of the work rest with pure
the algebra of sets and occultism. Using Duchamp. His ready-mades, he writes, intuition and cannot be translated into
the resulting method, he analyses meant a 'change from "appearance" to self-analysis, spoken or written, or
forty-five works and compiles the results "conception"'. 'All art (after Duchamp) even thought out.
in imposing charts. For Burnham, is conceptual (in nature) because art only And what is more important, he defines
Duchamp remains the central figure of exists conceptually.' 56 After Duchamp, `art coefficient', or that evasive 'art-ness'
modern art (`magister ludi') and he then, the method of art is one that is of a work of art, as a 'missing link', that is,
analyses his Fontaine. It is astonishing purely scientific. 'Aesthetic systems are `the difference between what [the artist]
how meagre the results of such a designed, capable of generating objects', intended to realize and did realize'. What
pretentiously complex method are. In the says Victor Burgin.' 'Artwork may not he creates is never any more than 'inert
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