Page 100 - Studio International - May June 1975

despicable attempt to put Denny nonfiguration dates from 1952. proportion of it was put to art lack of sophistication in his
and his friends on the map by the Terry Frost likewise. And education on which it has had a thinking and presented works.
wholly unnecessary method of Bryan Wynter - an artist whose considerable influence. As this If there is a 'theoretical
consistently denigrating the tragically early death in February was an aspect of life with which emphasis', then one can find more
slightly older painters of my own may stimulate, one hopes, a Mr Johnstone himself appeared genuine theorism in, say, Euclid
generation whom he (Alloway) demand for a major retrospective to be concerned, one therefore or even in the instructions of an
corporately identified under the (such as Denny himself enjoyed queries his statement about Airfix construction kit. The
label 'St Ives' - a name he at the Tate at the age of 42) - Herbert Read being a damaging whole article consists of
actually succeeded in turning became wholly nonfigurative at influence on British art, as art pretentious, but naive, clumsy and
into a dirty word in international the turn of the years 1955-1956. education, incredible as it may inarticulate verbiage attached to
art criticism - as, indeed, we yet So what in the hell's Robyn seem, does in fact come under that simple-minded concepts. Smith's
again see it used by Denny Denny talking about? Especially heading. and Stezaker's involvement with
himself in this lecture. British in view of the interesting fact that The main point I wish to make the dictionary and the thesaurus
painting would have gained the very first sentence of his concerns the sculptor Henry seems more thorough than their
enormously as a whole had lecture runs as follows : 'The Moore. If Henry Moore's understanding of both ideas and
Alloway promoted his London- title came to me one day in reputation was born via a visual entities.
based 'Situation' painters Hampton Court maze'. What catalogue by Herbert Read, fair G. M. WiIliams
without at the same moment precisely, one might ask, was this enough. All good artists have to Goldsmith's College of Art
putting down 'St Ives'. In first wholly nonfigurative painter emerge somehow and sometime, London
writing about my own generation doing in the maze at Hampton whether through a catalogue,
(Lanyon, Hilton, Wynter, Frost, Court? Why does he waste publicity agent or suicide. Not British Painting 74
Davie and others) I did not valuable space in the pages of everyone is a Henry Moore fan, I would like to correct a factual
myself feel compelled to run down Studio International reproducing and for those who are not, they error in Andrew Forge's reply to
Matthew Smith, Hitchens, a photograph, roughly six by can, naturally, dispute his being criticisms of 'British Painting
Nicholson, Moore or Hepworth. seven inches square, of the the greatest modern sculptor. 1974'. His piece is at pains to
Quite the contrary, in fact. What magical maze itself? Could it be What Mr Johnstone does say, point out the value, if any, of 'all'
is more, this letter will be the first that, if Lanyon mixed landscape which is liable to considerable the reviews and pieces written
public criticism made by me of with abstraction, Denny mixes disputation, is that Moore has not around the show. However, to my
any painter of the Denny- landscape gardening with sufficient understanding of form knowledge, he omits two articles.
Richard Smith generation. But abstraction? For what mistaken or basic structure to be a really ONE magazine carried in its
enough is enough. It's time their reading of Denny's canvases great sculptor. What I would like November issue a serious essay
group grew out of the distorting could be more excusable than to know is, if Mr Moore does not entitled 'Innovation in Art',
attitudes they've inherited from that they resemble the layout of have adequate understanding of written by Philip Hughes. Art
Lawrence Alloway. an Elizabethan garden maze? form and structure, then who has ? International also carried a
What does Denny actually Come out of the garden, No doubt Zadkine, Lipchitz and review written by Fenella
say 'Perhaps I should say here Robyn! Stop sneering at the Arp all have, but to dismiss Moore Crichton.
that I have never been an 'St Ives' painters whose early on that account is my version of The former omission is of
admirer of that kind of English works neither you nor anyone the twentieth-century's biggest interest since the Arts Council of
art that hovers uncertainly else remembers because, unlike understatement. I get the Great Britain were well endowed
between naturalism and your own, they have not yet been impression that Mr Johnstone with copies of this issue, as were
abstraction. Is it a girl's thigh seen a second time round in the has not even looked at a Henry numbers of English artists. (The
or a hillside in St Ives ? A head London retrospectives which are Moore sculpture, but has been issue of ONE also carried a letter
or an interior? Now you see it - long overdue. too busy with needlework. If any written originally to the Evening
now you don't. With a touch Patrick Heron person should understand basic Standard by Basil Beattie,
from here and a touch from there; Zennor structure and form, then it should criticizing Richard Cork's
the bric-a-brac of no-man's-land, St Ives be Henry Moore, who has response to the Hayward show.)
rendered with such fluency in concerned himself with it for a It would seem that however one
English art .' Intentionally Robyn Denny writes: lifetime and has gained world- tries, on occasion the 'good'
rude - but doubtless Patrick Heron has always been wide recognition. things are left out.
unconsciously inaccurate and an ardent advocate for his Yours faithfully, Yours faithfully,
misleading. After all, the amalgam 'generation', but in this case he is David Livingstone Barry Martin
of figuration and nonfiguration being over •protective. Ibiza, Spain London, S.W.1
which Denny here imputes to the True, I did mention St Ives (the PS
entire 'St Ives' generation was place) twice, it would be difficult Smith & Stezaker I FOUND MARCEL INFINITIVE AND
only a characteristic of one of our to give a measured response to The interview between Peter TEENY PRESENT AT PHILADELPHIA
number - Peter Lanyon. And Heron's articles without doing so. Smith and John Stezaker is SEPTEMBER SEVENTY THREE STOP
since the fusion of figurative and I did not discuss the artists he symptomatic of the utter lack of SEEN ONLY SEEMINGLY NEXT TO
nonfigurative elements in refers to here, for my criticism was discrimination that is prevalent UNSEEN MAKES EVERYBODY VOYEUR
Lanyon's painting was entirely a general one, of a recurring now. HERE HOW ABOUT THERE MARCEL
and consciously deliberate it must strain that runs through English Stezaker apparently practises CLEETINGS
be regarded as an exceedingly art, and not confined to a group the notion that mediocre ideas and TAKIGUCHI
daring and original and personal or generation. I have never works of art interpreted according
innovation -never approached regarded the 'generation issue' as to some deliberately obscure
before or since by anyone else. significant, and Heron errs in rhetoric or presumed political
Of course, it is true that two assuming my criticism was on that content display more value than
other 'St Ives' painters, basis. those works which do not. His
Nicholson and Hilton, chose to I did feel that Heron's series of own work, in its visual feebleness,
preserve, as parallel and totally Guardian pieces deserved to be demonstrates this nonsense.
distinct activities, both absolutely taken seriously, and I am sorry he But it is not even as if the ideas,
nonfigurative and highly did not hear my reactions in full supposedly separable from the
figurative idioms in their and in context. My opinions were, objects, display any degree of
output. But there is no "now you of course, no one's but my own. insight or profundity whatsoever.
see it - now you don't" about For all the progressive radicalism
Nicholson and Hilton. As for the WiIIiam Johnstone's Survey Stezaker might claim for himself,
rest of us - perhaps I may simply There can be few people who, not one of his works furthers the
repeat a few historical facts ? with William Johnstone's visual achievements of previous
Davie's painting was totally experience of Art Schools, and artists of less ostensibly modest
abstract by the late forties (when with a lifetime of artistic pretensions, from the Cubists
Denny was still a schoolboy?). experience, can make such onwards. Pop artists, now
Scott was absolutely nonfigurative fatuous statements as he does generally understood to be trivial
by 1952 - as I was myself, in your article 'William in their contribution to the
although I returned to figuration Johnstone: A survey', Studio history of art, showed an appetite
for a period of three years, International, March/April issue. for the banal, 'popular' imagery
entering my wholly nonfigurative How Herbert Read acquired his they utilized; this, at least,
development (which persists to the knowledge is neither here nor contained conviction. Stezaker's
present moment in an unbroken there. How one puts that obvious lack of visual compulsion
line) in January 1956. Hilton's knowledge to use is the important for the nature of his imagery,
most uncompromising thing, and in this case a large clearly contributes to the total
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