Page 90 - Studio International - March April 1975

Gropius was still its Director. Moholy, of man and the universe which are café interiors (evocative enough as they
one of the most versatile modern artists, patronizing and embarrassingly naive. It are) and by the Artariahaus, rather than
has been given his due in the literature might have been redeemed had the artist by the Scheu Haus (1912), surely more
even though there is still a real need for a let slip some crumbs of information about typical. Even ithe Michaelerplatz
monograph and even though accounts of himself or his contemporaries previously building is shown in a modern
his life and work are badly marred by withheld from us. But he did not do this. photograph rather than a contemporary
myths and factual inaccuracies. A short I expect the book will eventually be one, less accurately. (See Studio, No. 957,
book written by Moholy's first wife, serialized in 'Woman's Own'. July/Aug. 1973, Rykwert, Illus. p. 19).
Lucia, 'Marginal Notes, Documentary Frank Whitford Where painting is concerned, Klimt,
Absurdities', has recently come to my Kokoschka, Schiele and Gerstl are dealt
attention and, although published as long with too summarily for a book of this size
ago as 1972, is worth mentioning here. Springaling and scope. They are so crucial
Lucia Moholy concerns herself with individually to the story of the last days of
demolishing the myths and putting the `Kakania', and their personal histories
record straight in terms of her own The Sacred Spring are so varied that only such depth of
records and recollections. Her book (in The Arts in Vienna 1898-1918, by Nicolas understanding can really convey the
both English and German, by the way) is Powell. 212 pp +index, appdx. collective strength of the Secessionist
an indictment of the slovenliness of many Introduction pp. 1-42 by Adolf Opel : Movement that bound them and others
art historians and catalogue compilers The Cultural Background. Studio Vista together against the negative power of
who, having once made a mistake, £9.50. the seductive and complacent
compound it rather than check everything Kunstlerhaus and its prince patron. The
out. demystification was carried through, with
Vienna today is a quieter place. Even if,
The Bauhaus was finally driven out of despite the somnolent air, an avant garde an impact on the mind that only painting
its last home (the disused telephone can be said to exist, ranging behind Hans can deliver.
factory in the Steglitz district of Berlin) Hollein, Pichler, Peintner, Terzic and Sculpture is dealt with summarily, and
by the Nazis in 1933. There is a famous Himmelblau, Vienna itself seems rightly so it seems, since little of the spirit
photograph of this, the first 'cultural passively to deny its existence. No Karl of the movement seemed to have been
action' taken by the new government but Kraus exists to permeate café life, translated into sculptural work.
it does not appear in The Hitler File'. A although in these older places it is not Such was the 'Sacred Spring' in Vienna.
great many other pictures are printed hard to imagine him, and his close In London today, now herself culturally
here, however, in a beautifully designed friends Wittgenstein and Schoenberg or deprived of her own supporting domains,
and largely visual record of Germany Loos and Grillparzer. The Griensteidl devalued and demoralized in the after-
between the wars. It might seem strange Café may have been pulled down (even glow of another imperial sunset, what can
to comment on this book in this context as they talked) but other versions survive be contrived to resemble a sacred spring ?
but I do so because I have not seen as a guided round with Hollein at least It was there for a flicker, in the 196os,
printed anywhere better examples of demonstrated to this reviewer recently. but the wasteland at the Hayward Gallery
Nazi painting, posters and architecture, The strength of these seemingly casual Painting Show recently (set in the
nor have I read a better concise account meeting places as catalyst is surely as architectural wasteland of this city),
of Nazi cultural policy. In addition to all much cause as effect, of the healthy didn't warm the heart or mind. As
the photographs of Hitler and his correlation between the visual arts which Patrick Heron's recent Guardian articles
cronies, the book includes pictures of the again operates in Austria, in contrast to testify, even the art critic's concept of
opening of the 'Decadent Art' exhibition the barricaded preserves which perpetrate instant history doesn't help much when
in 1937, of Arno Breker producing one of the no-man's-land of English art still. it has neither sincerity nor commitment
his famous gigantic sculptures, of But the great cultural hinterlands of to back it.
contemporary stamps, magazine covers, Vienna, which still held in the last days of Adolf Opel's introduction is a valuable
cartoons and posters, all of which is the Austro-Hungarian Empire, have all summary of the background to this surge
relevant to the history of the art of this been severed, as the truncated railway of creativity. The excellent colour-plates
period. I wish that more art books proper stations of Vienna demonstrate. While the and numerous other illustrations do
would include even a little of such `Sacred Spring' lasted, the city was the justice to their subject in most instances.
documentary material for it invariably nexus of European intellectual life for This ample book, just on to the desk
sheds light on the art itself. the period which saw the gradual collapse top rather than the coffee table, is timely
One of the many artists driven from of Empire; after the collapse, she in its description to readers of the real
Germany during the 1930's and forced to maintained inevitably a cultural life that existed during those apocalyptic
seek refuge in Britain was Oskar centrality that contained within the seeds years in Vienna, ironic in the human
Kokoschka (Moholy-Nagy was here, of its own re-generation. combinations of contemporary failure
briefly, too, as a matter of fact) who was It might seem that a disproportionately and posthumous success. And even if
at first treated with that supreme, large part of the book, forty-four pages, is they turned out not really to be the last
ignorant indifference which only the given over to architecture, mainly of days of mankind, as Karl Kraus felt, at
English seem to feel when confronted by Wagner and Loos. Yet both, in their least they seemed like it. Our own
avant-garde artists with an international works, epitomize the demystification of problem, here and now, is that even if
reputation. Undeterred, Kokoschka art which helped to loosen academic these days are, we cannot recognize it. In
stayed long enough to become a British constraints to creativity at that time. this context a look at current work in
citizen, which he remains, even though Wagner's development 'clearly manifested Vienna might not be too remiss, even for
his home has for years been in a distinct change in traditional sensitivity, rarified palates.
Switzerland. the almost total breakdown of Michael Spens
When, about five years ago, romanticism and the emergence of
Kokoschka's biography was announced purpose built structures'. (Otto Wagner,
by his German publisher, the word in the Die Baukunst unserer Zeit, p. 128). He Marinetted
trade was that the world was about to stuck in the gullet of the
receive a rare document of real humanity, Kaiserlich-königlich' personage, Francis Ferdinand
a masterpiece of writing and explication. the Crown Prince, like a large fish-bone. Architettura `Radicale'
It has now appeared in English, Regretfully, only the more pompous of By Paola Navone & Bruno Orlandoni.
beautifully translated by David Britt, and Wagner's works are illustrated, and the Introduction by Andrea Branzi.
you can see, if you are interested, why chance is missed to show the more 198 pp 120 ill. Documenti di
the German critics sounded so functionally elegant examples, such as the CASABELLA.
disappointed when they had eventually Vienna Post Office Savings Bank
read it. 'My Life' is, in short, a let-down: steelwork details and Library Gallery The flood of architectural books currently
a patchy, apparently straightforward but structure. While Adolf Loos is covered published in Italy hardly ever reaches the
in fact artfully dramatized account heavily in reasonable length, inexplicably his shores of the Anglo-Saxon bookmarket
laced with observations about the nature work is only illustrated by recourse to and, if so, only a tiny part is translated