Word: arte
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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Joseph Beuys-sculptor, maker of happenings, guru and political fantasist-is without doubt the most influential artist in Europe. At 58, he is also one of the few genuine art world stars: the gaunt face, the felt hat that never comes off in public and the fishing jacket make up a uniform as immediately recognizable to his fans as Al Capone's fedora or Picasso's monkey mask. He even has a retinue of attendants, attired in cute red jumpsuits. For some years he has been one of the chief culture heroes in Germany, particularly...
...shortest of his essays, "On the Humanity of Abstract Painting," Schapiro defends modern art against the charge of inhumanity. He asserts that humanity in art "is not confined to the image of man. Man shows himself too in his relations to the surroundings, in his artifacts, and in the expressive character of all the signs and marks he produces...
Schapiro points to Cezanne, who, "in rendering the simplest objects bare of ideal meaning..." demonstrates the power of a creative mind. "The humanity of art," Schapiro tells us, "lies in the artist and not simply in what he represents..." He continues, "the charge of inhumanity brought against painting springs from a failure to see the works as they are." But how "are" they? The best in art "must be discovered in a sustained experience of serious looking and judging...." In other words, Schapiro assures us that if we look long and hard enough we will inevitably see what he sees...
...unenlightened viewer's problem, writes Schapiro, is one of "discriminating the good in an unfamiliar form which is often confused by the discouraging mass of insensitive imitations." His argument is simple: we have a moral responsibility to like abstract art and a moral duty to defend it. If we don't fulfill these tasks, we are insensitive. Worse, he labels as brain-damaged those who refuse to properly appreciate modern art. Those who condemn abstraction do so, because they require an "already known order, familiar and reassuring." Amazingly, Schapiro calls on a neurologist to verify this "handicap": "The sense...
WHEN MEYER SCHAPIRO began to analyze modern art in the 1940's, he brought with him the distinguished reputation of a medieval scholar and the enthusiasm for a new project. Now, 30 years later, he has collected ten essays which allow him to interweave artistic theory and specific case studies with great skill and ease. Although his unclear writing and intolerant posture often mar Modern Art, Schapiro's analyses are intriguing and worth reading...