Page 76 - Studio International - January February 1975

to record that an American critic Introductions must be paid for. a uniform notion of excellence - Benjamin and Georg Lukács;
was compelled to burn the A calibrated scale of charges and without a unifying doctrine, and there are good grounds for
unsolicited gifts which he exists and it reflects the standing he cannot justify adhering to a their reluctance to probe ideas of
received before he was believed of a critic in the hierarchy of his dogmatic set of tenets. The genuine relevance in the arts.
that bribes did not move him - profession. His fee is the fragmentation of the arts is his Lukács and Benjamin could not
and it is worth adding that his temptation to sell his judgment excuse for his own duplicity and provide ammunition for
bonfire party was well-attended in the critic's far from special he may well be right to accept maintaining that geometric
by incredulous artists who case. The greengrocer sells fruit compromise when our societies abstraction conveys the Maoist's
seemed rather happy to see their and vegetables - while the critic abandon the aesthetics of ideal progressive ideals-and that is
own works go up in flames. sells the articles of his judgment perfection. exactly the task Pleynet and his
Nevertheless, our own rather to those willing to buy it. The 1t is ironic in many ways that fellow revolutionaries have set
differently formulated principles critic's market is the catalogue in France committed criticism themselves. Only mystification
should not lead the reader to stall - just as the Covent Gardens owes its existence to the debased can prove a direct relationship
condemn the French critic's of the big cities are the ethics of the compromise - but it between good art and the notion
morals. His reasons for greengrocer's. Consequently, is self-evident that political views of leftish political commitment.
cooperating with the artist are however, the critic observes two are inextricably involved in The connexions exist but they
hallowed by tradition and different sets of criteria vis-a-vis prejudice when they are applied are tenuous and very very
justifiable on practical grounds. the debatable concept of to the arts and prejudice is a indirect - and it needs the mind
He offers a service and his integrity. In his journalism he synonym for compromise when it of a Lukacs to pin-point the
service implies sacrifice on his formulates opinions in interferes with value judgments in revolutionary impact in a diehard
part. Not many have the firm accordance with the position he the arts. Marcelin Pleynet's case conservative like Balzac. (A
base provided by a great daily defends - and in his introductions is, perhaps, the best illustration great Maoist art critic would
like Le Monde and even fewer he praises whatever comes his of this truism. His is one of the admit that Cane, for instance, is a
have any firm base at all. In way for praise. As a result, he is finest minds devoted to the diehard conservative - and that
addition, the Paris reviewer's often found to pronounce business of art criticism and his conservatism does not prevent
speech is muted; his voice diametrically opposed views - promotion; but his essays are him from being a very fine abstract
belongs to a group instead of especially when artists of little often examples of mere mental painter, characteristically of our
belonging to the larger and more talent invite his championship acrobatics. He is a man of the own time and place; but Pleynet
flexible concept of art. He cannot during exhibitions in galleries extreme left but to argue his case, cannot - because he seems to be
aspire to represent impartial hired to show any lost cause; and he has to base it on defending a unwilling to admit that art
views and it is human that he it must not be forgotten that couple of Rothko-disciples - reflects social forces indirectly.)
should wish to be compensated Paris has many more galleries whose intellectual equipment Thus mystification is substituted
for a partiality which is not of his than London and that more of comes from the depleted treasuries for the patient and indirect
own making. them are, thus, available to mere of western capitalism. His methods of scholarship - since
French critics are schizophrenic amateurs who rent exhibition acolytes are tame and painterly the French are outwardly at any
beings. They happen to know with spaces. French critics are not practitioners of geometrical rate hostile to circuitous ways of
one half of their minds that they ashamed when the discriminating abstraction and, in the thinking and keen to bury a grain
are committed to injustice and reader counterpoints their circumstances, Pleynet's texts of truth under mountains of
exaggeration at the same time - bought hosannahs with their own tend to outdo the most hair- argument when it could be
since their stand is unavoidably later diatribes concerning a raising examples of scholasticism mounted on a slide with much
exclusive. This inner split tends unique event. Reading their in tortuousness and irrelevance more profit and then be
to explain a secondary regular columns, even the when he introduces their case in examined under a critical
characteristic of the writer's unfortunate artist's own order to illustrate the glories of microscope.
predicament in France - and it expectations are not deceived by revolutionary painting; and Indeed, it is the mountainous
has much more unpleasant such seemingly self-contradictory practise instilled the art of quantity of argument in French
connotations. The French have behavioural patterns. In fairness, obfuscation into his writing to criticism which stuns the Anglo-
two voices and they provide two however, it should be added that such an extent that it infects his Saxon reader. The spaces and the
distinct spheres for them. In his readers with ears attuned to the views on classical art history as verbiage available to our Paris
official utterances the critic peculiar customs of France are well. The stunning power of his colleagues fill one with envy of a
observes self-defined tenets of quick to distinguish between erudition cannot pierce the wall kind and these spaces are,
honesty and he pays more than genuine respect for an artist's of his own prejudices and it undoubtedly, due to a more
mere lip-service to the work and the clichés which separates him from his themes prevalent excitement generated
professional standards which disfigure the commissioned even when he writes on Matisse or by intellectual events. The
define his position - but he is verbiage in so many catalogues. Giorgione; and it should be excitement has a greater reach
willing to accept assignments All the same, an unpleasant stressed that French critics tend and greater hold; and the
where his voice is readily atmosphere is the result. The to be a good deal more erudite garrulousness, which is an
purchasable. Once again, living artist is expected to pay than their British colleagues. inevitable result of it, does ensure
explanations are needed to the critic for his services and the Nor, indeed, are they coy when it that discussions take place in a
qualify this statement - which fact is remarkable as well as comes to demonstrating the wider context. It is feverish at
could horrify British readers who obnoxious. With artists of talent breadth of their interests. Pleynet's times and it has the force to seem
are not familiar with the Paris or genuine accomplishment, case, with its vast store of infectious. It is a wider context
scene. Until recently no payment may not assume the information, is far from unique. nevertheless. But the breadth of
exhibition could be considered degrading aspect of moneys Structuralism, Maoism, vision exploits the cause of
noticeworthy unless it was exchanged over written contracts; psychoanalysis, Marxism of the strangely tangential issues: the
accompanied by a more or less objects may find, let us say, new orthodox variety and Neo- enlarged referential field of the
sumptuous catalogue and ownership. But, whenever the Hegelianism are expected to make Tel-Quel group enables a Pleynet
catalogues were of no consequence need arises, the idea of contributions to the contemporary to relate his findings to the arcane
unless they contained an remuneration will be part of a Paris critic's diction; and problematics of revolution and
introduction. The composition gentleman's agreement and the Wittgenstein's name should not his tendency towards mystification
of such introductions is in critic's front-door will never be be omitted from this list either- comes from mixing incompatibles;
accordance with the formulae of left unattended while works of which will never be complete not from widening the field of his
the classical eulogy - and it must art are on the look-out for since new critics are expected to enquiry. Oddly, however, the
appear over a meaningful ownership. So it goes in the land establish their credentials by rightwing critic seems equally
signature. American dealers, of wine, elegant women and high adding to it. It may, therefore, be indebted to irrational ways of
like Darthea Speyer and the art where the social graces count noted with a degree of sadness arguing. The reactionary's
Sonnabends may have for so much more than in our that Aristotle's and Plato's vocabulary runs away with
undermined the catalogue's more straightforward islands. teachings seem to be entirely adjectives which help to formulate
ubiquitous importance but it has Yet, the symptoms themselves forgotten although the present utterly private languages. Pierre
already been replaced by museum are not cause for concern. The heroes of the French Restany's texts, for instance, are
publications which commemorate disease, and it is a disease, has establishment cannot have added calculated to ignore all manner of
gallery sponsored events in deeper layers of existence and much to classical aesthetics - art-historical facts and yet, he is
public institutions. It goes they are much more difficult to (Harold Rosenberg contributed likely to be the finest living
without saying that none of us specify. The surface phenomena more to our understanding of French art critic. This new
likes to deliver work without spring from a fundamental postwar painting than Mao but Bombast von Hohenheim owes
expecting some kind of diffidence in general values and in Rosenberg remains an unknown his well-deserved preeminence
remuneration for it and it is valid principles. The critic's force in Paris since J udith among his contemporaries to the
hardly a remarkable fact that our schizophrene stance proves (to Applegate has left). In fact, the quality of his judgment and not to
Parisian brethren also exact a himself at any rate) that we are French tend to avoid the texts the instancing of it. In his case,
price for their labour. without a cultural style; without of genuine innovators like Walter the proverbial logic of the French
6