The role of the artist, of course,
has always been that of image-maker;
Different times require different images;
Today when aspirations have been reduced
to a desperate attempt to escape from evil,
& times are out of joint, our
obsessive, subterranean & _pictographic_
images are the expression of the neurosis
which is our reality; to my mind certain
so-called abstraction is not abstraction at all;
On the contrary, _it is the realism of our time_
1. To us art is an adventure
into an unknown world,
which can be explored
only by those willing to
take the risks;
2. This world of imagination is fancy-free
& violently opposed to common sense;
3. It is our function as artists to
make the spectator see the world
our way, not his way;
4. We favor the simple expression
of the complex thought. We are for
the large shape because it has the
impact of the unequivocal. We wish
to reassert the picture plane. We are
for flat forms because they destroy
illusion and reveal truth; |
_5. It is a widely accepted notion among painters
that it doesn't matter what one paints as long as
it is well painted. Rothko said this is the essence
of academicism;_
6. There is no such thing as a
good painting about nothing.
7. We assert that the subject is crucial
& only that subject matter is valid
which is tragic and timeless. That is
why we profess spiritual kinship with
primitive & archaic art
Aug 21, 2018
Aug 21, 2018 at 7:06 PM UTC
The role of the artist, of course,
has always been that of image-maker;
Different times require different images;
Today when aspirations have been reduced
to a desperate attempt to escape from evil,
& times are out of joint, our
obsessive, subterranean & _pictographic_
images are the expression of the neurosis
which is our reality; to my mind certain
so-called abstraction is not abstraction at all;
On the contrary, _it is the realism of our time_
1. To us art is an adventure
into an unknown world,
which can be explored
only by those willing to
take the risks;
2. This world of imagination is fancy-free
& violently opposed to common sense;
3. It is our function as artists to
make the spectator see the world
our way, not his way;
4. We favor the simple expression
of the complex thought. We are for
the large shape because it has the
impact of the unequivocal. We wish
to reassert the picture plane. We are
for flat forms because they destroy
illusion and reveal truth; |
_5. It is a widely accepted notion among painters
that it doesn't matter what one paints as long as
it is well painted. Rothko said this is the essence
of academicism;_
6. There is no such thing as a
good painting about nothing.
7. We assert that the subject is crucial
& only that subject matter is valid
which is tragic and timeless. That is
why we profess spiritual kinship with
primitive & archaic art
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