Contemporary American painting and sculpture

23

physicalandspiritual,whichcannotbecomprehendedbymaterialunder-

standingalone.Andthevirtualdisappearanceofthatkindofpatronage

which dictatedtotheartista specificcontenthas thrownthepainter

moreandmoreuponhisinnerresources.Thequalitiesoftruthandreality,

oncesospecificintheirnature,mustbereinterpretedinthelightofpresent

conditions.Therelationshipbetweenanartwhichhasastrongabstract

basisandonewhichispredominantlyillustrativeinnatureisnotunlike

thatwhichexistsbetweenbasicscienceandappliedscience.Ontheone

handthereisanintensepreoccupationwithaformalproblemforitsown

sake;ontheother,aspecificsolutiontoalimitedobjective.

Thisisnottheplaceforananalysisofnon-objectivepainting,butwe

shouldcallattentiontothefactthatitisamovementwhichembracesaDs

manyvariationsaswewillfindinso-calledrealisticart.Ittravelsallthe

wayfromthese\ere architectonicformalismofFritz Glarner'sTondo

So. 21 andthemeticulouspremeditatedorganization andexecutionof

GuntherGerzso'sTowardstheInfinitetopaintingsinwhichthephysical

qualitiesandpeculiaritiesofthemediumitselfseemtohavestartedthe

work, almostindependent of theartist's direction. In Fred Conway's

RiddleandKurtRoeschsOdaliskwestillfeelthepresenceofsubmerged

naturalisticformswhichprovidedabasisfortheexpansionofthefinal

organization,butmorefrequentlythereisnosuchlinkwiththeobjective

world.Thereisanextraordinaryromanticisminthene%vestpaintingsof

WiUiamBaziotes,likehisTheSomnambulist,andacombinationofdis-

ciplinedstructurewithmaterialrichness andmultitudinousassociations

inGeromeKamrowskisTheUrgentHour.Thepossibilitiesofanintui-

tive,emotionallyliberatedformofexpressionarerevealedvariouslybysuch

paintersasFelixRuvolo,ErieLoran,Gyorg\'Kepes,andRobertMother-

well,amongmanyothers.

Butnon-objectiveartcanbeaperilousexpedient,andpresentscertain

difficultieswhicharenotyetsolved.Foronething,thereistheproblem

ofsymbols.Thenon-illustrativeartofthepastgenerallycouldrelyona

widelyacceptedbodyofcon\ictions,availabletoartistandpublicalike,

whichprovidedmeaningfulcontentforabstractshapesandrelationships.