Page 42 - Studio International - September October 1975

`Move through the space, a visual 'field.' Although these two works forms they can take. There can be no
explore it in different ways. are the product of artists with different doubt that this kind of 'totalizing' art
outlooks, different historical and artistic can, in addition to offering us a more
Feel it, look at it, speak to it, backgrounds, they are both clearly complex experience through its
listen to it, make sounds with it, examples of the artist aiming at environmental 'transformations', have
play music with it, embrace it, `transfiguring' an environment by a social function. That is, it overcomes
smell it, lick it, etc. Let the taking possession of the given space in its the isolating action and the feeling of
entirety. temporary existence which are inherent
space do things to you : embrace Other examples of the 'surface' type in other kinds of art. The artist's work
you, hold you, move you, push are Mantegna's frescoes in the Camera projects itself into the space and lives
you, lift you up, crush you, etc.' degli Sposi at Mantua and Veronese's with it, as a self-determining entity.
Richard Schechner, 1974. frescoes in Villa Maser. Here too, as in This aspect of 'environmental' art is
similar works by Michelangelo and the reason why, towards 1800, at the
Background history Tiepolo, the aim is to integrate two- beginning of the bourgeois-technological
The idea of establishing a series of dimensional visual work with the spatial age, the practice was smothered out of
physical relationships between the structure. Figural and optical elements existence. Bourgeois thinking was bound
space of an indoor environment and merge into and synthetize with the to eliminate any attitude which stood in
plastic-visual experiments carried out in spatial field, so that they interact, the way of the exchange and free
that environment, dates back several creating illusory structural effects. movement of goods and therefore
centuries to the moment when the artist, In the second type the artist's work not excluded any possibility of binding a
having been allotted a certain space only occupies the planes of the walls, but work of art to a specific environment. The
within a building, decided to use it not is also volumetric. The wall surfaces are, characteristics of an art which is
merely as a 'bed' for his work, but as an as it were, pushed outwards and the integrated with space are immutable;
integral part of it. In the terms of my volumetric matter is spread over walls, they cannot be manipulated.
analysis, including space as an integral ceiling and floor. Plastic forces applied Environmental art is an indivisible
part of the plastic-visual work does not to the structure of the interior whole. Today we can claim that this
mean partially 'decorating' the surfaces environment give it movement in every practice, which unites art and
or volumes of a given environment with direction. architecture, is an expression of the
fresco, mosaic, painting or sculpture. It Spatial articulation becomes the object social need to establish a direct
means taking on the space in its of the artist who immerses himself in the relationship with the public in its
entirety, in order to give it structure or space, treating it concretely like material entirety, and also of the desire to protect
pick out its features by means of a to be moulded. He puts it together and the artist's work from being
plastic-visual modification. The works organizes it, not only on a superficial indiscriminately moved about and
which I shall be referring to here are not and visual level, but in such a way that it passed from hand to hand, by making it
of the type which concentrate on a affects the spectator's own senses and belong once and for all to a specific 'field'
particular detail while ignoring the movement. The result is something more which may be public or private, but
whole; on the contrary, they are than a mere projection of surfaces, which was planned simultaneously with
consistent with the shape and structure homologous to the actual walls; it the work of art.
of the overall space in question. involves a real experience of the given
Within the context of this article the field, with the plastic relationships 1900-1945
concept of space is that of a topological providing the environment with an extra Conditions favourable to a return to
field in which there is always, inside the dimension. This environment may be environmental art reappeared at the end
given space, a relationship between `moulded' in either an ordered or a of the nineteenth century with the
part and whole.' This means that we can disordered fashion, giving the effect of emergence of Art Nouveau, which
disregard all fragmentary works which do planned or casual assembly. To obtain synthetized the arts and once again made
not take into account the way in which an idea of how work in plastic form can it possible to see homogeneity in art and
the aesthetic matter fills or is distributed absorb and enfold environmental architecture. Of course, the works in
homogeneously throughout the room structures, think of Michelangelo's question were no longer of the same
which houses it. If we take only those Laurentian Library and of Baroque social or symbolic significance. The
cases where there is a two-way link interiors, with their volumetric industrial bourgeoisie restricted the
between the space and the work of art, protrusions and cavities which can activities of environmental artists to the
then the examples where a space is create spaces, imaginary and distorted. private houses of the rich or in avant-
given a plastic-visual structure are less In these examples, as in innumerable garde centres : either the café-cabaret or
numerous, though far from negligible. others of Aztec, Maya, Gothic and the art gallery. At the beginning of the
In order to give a 'prehistory,' earlier Rococo sculpture, the relationship with twentieth century these were the only
than 1800, of artistically 'treated' the surrounding space is one which gives places in which the idea of aesthetic
environments, it will suffice to list those greater importance to movement and `totalization' could be given an airing.
cases where the spatial, visual and touch than to the eye.
volumetric themes of a given architecture Of course, it is possible to analyse this
`extend' into the sphere of the work of art appropriation of space using less
in question, to the point where the latter simplistic means. The topological
appropriates these themes, distorts them relationship between architecture and art
and transforms them. In simple terms, may also depend on ritual or functional
the method of utilization can be either factors, it may be governed by a
'surface-oriented' or 'volumetric.' In the consideration of the geometric form of
first case the surface of the casing the space, or by a consideration of the
represented by the room or other effects of light and sound. The artist
environment identifies with the surface of brings about a certain rearrangement
the work of art. Examples of this are the of space and this is determined not only
mosaics in the Galla Placidia mausoleum by technique (painting or sculpture) or
in Ravenna and Giotto's frescoes on the dimension (surface or volume), but also Giacomo Balla
walls of the Scrovegni chapel in Padua. by other elements which may be Study for the Lowenstein House 1912
In these works the mosaic or wall introduced, such as the sense of Ink, wash and pencil, 31½ x 47½ in.
painting makes a continuous covering of luminosity and spiritual evanescence Coll: Balla, Rome
the walls and ceilings of the interiors. to be experienced at Galla Placidia in
There is total saturation of the given Ravenna, or the feeling of suppressed In 1912 the futurist Balla developed
architectonic space — in terms of figures, energy discernible inside an Aztec temple his use of iridescent, interpenetrating
colour and light. The artist's work or an Egyptian pyramid. colours 'in an environmental field' at the
replaces the masonry, obliterates planes There is no need here to mention all Lowenstein house in Dusseldorf. 2 His
and the intersection of walls to produce the attributes of artspaces' or of all the studies of the iris phenomenon suggested