Buttheygoalongway,eitherbythemselves,ormoreoften,incombinationonewithanother,inemphasizingthefactthatthereismeaninganda
fundamentalconsistencyunderlyingtheformsandtheideaswhichengross
theattentionofmanvartiststodav.
Theinterestinstructurerevealsitselfinagreatvarietyofways.Mech-anisticformsoftentaketheplacewhichinearliertimeswouldhavebeen
assumedbyobjectsof organiclife. \Valter MurchsTheMotortreats
autilitarianman-madeobjectwithanintenseseriousnessandrespect,and
inthesensitivenessofitspresentationsuggestsinasubtlewaytheinter-
lockingdependenceofmanandmachine,themysteriouspersonalityofthe
thingitself.ArthurOsverhasparticularlyexploitedthepossibilitiesofthe
man-madestructuralland.scape,anurbanworldofchimneysandgirders.
HisUndertheTracksisapowerfulexpressionoftheangular,metallic
webwithwhichmodernmansupportsthewholefabricofhiscommunity.
The mechanisticforms of NilesSpencer'sIn Fairmont arecrisp and
sharplydefined,almostutilitarianinanimpersonalway.Aremarkable
exampleofan imaginativedc\clopmentofsuch mechanistic,structural
motifsisfoundin SoniaSekula'sArrival ofMrs.Thompson, withits
right-angledframework,itsmo%ingarabesquesofgeometric outlines,all
withastrongsenseofanarchitecturalplanwhichhassuddenlybecome
animated,willful,perhapsoutofcontrol.Therearealso,ofcourse,many
completelynon-objectivepaintingsinwhichweareinevitablydeeplyaware
ofgeometricstructuralrelationships,asinAdReinhardt'sNo.12,1951.
Butthisinterestinstructure,intheinteriororderandarchitectureofthings,neednotnecessarilyexploitthemechanicalsideofourexperiences.
SuchpurelyformalpaintingsasHansMollcr's(Compositionplacegreat
emphasisuponthestructuralinterlockingofshapesandsuggestedmove-
ments.Onefeelsthattheformalorganizationofsuchadesignisnota
processofarrangingagi\engroupofobjects,butrathertliatitliesinb;isic
mo\ementsandplastic relationshipswhichfartranscendthedescriptive
elementswhichremain.Norisitnecessarytoexcludehumanisticmeaning