Contemporary American painting and sculpture

(Chris Devlin) #1
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andfeltandknownismadebothsingular:clear,andmultiple:general.Thisistome
boththeparadoxandthereasonofpainting.Thevoidiseloquentwithdreamsand
possibilitiesbuttobringittobearonaranvas.Themeansareconstant,(formand
color)asisthenon-programmaticmoralityoftheiruse,butitisalwaysthehuman
touchandscalethatprojectsthemintolifesothattheycancarryAll(oranyfrag-
mentthatIamcapableof)directlyfrommetoyou."
BultmanwasborninNewOrleansin1919.Therehefirststudiedart,followed
bytravelandfurtherstudyinGermany,France,andItalyfrom 1935 to1937.Then
followedayearattheNewBauhausinChicago (1937-1938);studywithHans
HofmanninNewYork(1938-1942);andfurthertravelinItalyandFrance(1950-
19.')1),(luringwhichtimehewastherecipientofanawardfromtheItaliangovern-
menttostudysculpturetcchnicjuesinItaly.Among privatecollectorswhoown
examplesofhisworkare\'i(torRicscnfcldandl.ily Pons.HelivesinProvince-
town,Massachusetts.

BURG,CopelandC,FloivcrsintheCity, 40 x30. Illustration—Plate 38


"MypaintingFlowersinthe Citymaybeinterestingbecause itshows the
struggleandfailureofanartisttomovefromthetraditionalintotheabstraction
field.
"1hadintendedthebuildingstobeonlyshapeswithcolorbutIgotlost.There
isagoodfeelingofheightinthecanvasandalsothebuildingsgobackandback,
butthe flowersare ratherheavy-handedand Imissed thecontrastintextures
betweentheflowersandthebuildings.
"LastyearIsaidpaintingwasmovingswiftlyawayfromtherepresentational.
Now,Ifeelthismovementalmosthasspentitself,leavingthepublic.somewhat
outragedattheconfusingpatternsandsecretsymbolsofmanyartists.Ofcourse,
Irealizethesincereartistdoesnotcare,andrightlyso,whatthepublicthinks.
"Paintingmaymovestillmoretotheleft,butrathersoonIbelievetheswing
backtothetraditionalwillstart.But,letusallhope,thetrendbackwardwillnot
betoostrong."
CopelandBurgwasborninLivingston,Montana,in1895,butdidnotstart
paintinguntilhewasforty-five.ThoughhestudiedattheUniversityofWashington,
hehasneverhadanyformaltraininginart.BurgnowlivesandpaintsinChicago
andwritescommentsonartforthedailypress.Hisworkhasbeenexhibitedacross
the('ountryandhaswonforhimtensignificantprizes,fourofthematthe.Vrt
InstituteofChicagoalone.ThePennsylvaniaAcademyoftheFine.Vrts,Encyclo-
paedia Britannica,ArtInstitute ofChicago, Pepsi-ColaCompany, HarpoMarx,
RarleLudgin,andMrs.DuncanPhillipsareamongtheinstitutionsandprivatecol-
lectorswhoownhispaintings.

CANDELL,Victor,YuleLog, 30 x43. Illustration—Plate 81


"OfcourseIamquiteawareofthepitfallsofanygeneralization;thatisthe
reasonwhyone'sfirstimpulseistorejectalltemptationtorationalizeandtoput
intoapatintellectualformsubjectivelyinstinctivalmattersconcerningart.Thisin
itselfishighlysignificant.Weliveinaperiodofrelativevalues.Anyformulation
ofideasconcerningfeelingshasthemisleadingaspectof"linal'delinitionandthe
moderntemperhasahorroroftheabsolute.
"Itseemstomethatallcontemporaryartembodiesthe(hiefcharacleristiisof
ourtime.Itduessuonthelevelofbothformandcontent.Our(lerceptionofthe
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