Page 22 - Studio International - March April 1975

surrealism of Tanguy rather than the subconscious and nature struggling to Art) painted in spring 1974, in which the
Magritte, and it is true that this particular realise themselves, of the "sublime" as an three elements are thrown together as if
painting has an inward-looking quality, aspect of American romanticism, unites by some central violent explosion and
the twisting forms delving ever deeper Stieglitz and his friends to later painters where the colours have been allowed to
into the subconscious. Rhythm, 1927, who sought to externalise these hidden seep carelessly into each other.
Conception 1928 and Ode to the North forces in their equally romantic art'.1 The Far from being a series of biographical
Wind of the same year (Dundee City Art scraperboard drawings of 1931-8 reflect coincidences, the American connection
Gallery) all point to a preoccupation with something of the automatism implicit in has been crucial in his work. He
this landscape of the mind. Amoebic this. The forms of Point in Time and Ode considers himself a French-trained artist,
forms, coral-tinged, float in a to the West Wind take on a spindly, even but 'if . one is to know that art is not
translucent void. A more than human ghostly quality, and appear as if by national' it seems that he has freed
figure reclines in the foreground. chance. But it is through these himself from labels by following his own
Variations of blue, purple and pale scraperboard drawings that the post-1938 creative instincts which he has
turquoise seem to emanate a mysterious paintings seem to release themselves from summarized thus :
look where paint has been layered on introspection, exploding on to the canvas, `Civilizations grow by the accretion of
paint, colour on colour. yet still following the calligraphic instinct; the Common Nodes of interpretation of
To explore the connection further one and the post-1950 large abstract the nature of things. Within any
might turn to Cones of Memory 1931, of canvases, and the many small gouaches civilization there exists a more or less
which only a photograph remains, and reveal an increasing sense of freedom and complete system of accepted standards.
relate it to Oscar Dominguez's romanticism, coupled with pleasure in the In its Art these standards form the type
Decalcomania of 1935-6, a method act of applying paint. peculiar to any stage, but change is of the
devised by Dominguez and adopted by A recent embodiment of this style is essence of the Universe. The character
the surrealists in which gouache was `Genesis', a series of abstractions in plaster of any School of Art must therefore
spread on a sheet of paper, another sheet shown at the Scottish National Gallery of change, suffering inevitable progression
was placed over the wet paint, and Modern Art in 1973. These at first sight and decline. This change proceeds
subsequently removed, resulting in seemed to suggest total abandon, but normally with minor variations, but
`crushed landscapes'. Johnstone certainly closer reading revealed a deep inner eventually the structure itself is no longer
experimented freely, but the abstract control. Johnstone himself says of them : responsive to the deeper intuitions of the
shapes of the 'twenties paintings have `I knew that in myself I must produce a mind. Creative Art will then cease to
affinities with the Stieglitz group of condition, relaxed and free from thought exist until the urge to reject irrelevancy
painters, particularly Arthur Dove and or deliberation: that which would be compels the discovery of an adequate
Georgia O'Keefe, so that one has to produced through my hands would then field of expression. Those who make this
apply a surrealist label with caution. It is be from my inner self and completely discovery become the Primitives of the
doubtful whether Johnstone knew the unconscious. I throw the lump of crude, new school."•
Stieglitz painters when he first visited wet plaster on the smooth polished
America, but his West Coast experiences surface; a gesture of creation, a brief
and a visit to Mexico years later, experience of the variation of a simple
combined with a French training and a earth movement, and the plaster sets.'
responsiveness to oriental art point to the The kinship with Abstract
same sources of stimulus. One can only Expressionism is evident, and perhaps ',American Art since 1900' by Barbara Rose,
speculate on the remarkable similarities even more so in a recent large canvas published by Thames and Hudson, 1967.
in approach, since as Barbara Rose has Celebration of Earth, Fire and Water 2'Creative Art in England' by William
stated: 'The sense of the hidden forces in (Scottish National Gallery of Modern Johnstone, published by Stanley Nott, 1936.
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