Word: viewer
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...loss of the decorum and restraint necessary to traditional art permits the artist to explore "new domains and intensities of feeling." Schapiro points out that the absence of recognizable objects places new demands on the modern artist who can no longer depend on his subject to focus the viewer's attention...
...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...
...actual, unfunny sort of in sanity. Once or twice before the happy ending, it seems that something gruesome may be in the air. The quark, or question mark, involves this dark chanciness that finally proves to have foreshadowed nothing. It is intentional, of course, but a trifle heavyhanded; the viewer wants to laugh more loudly than the director permits...
Surprise is the key to Brooks' style; viewers can never guess the next line or the next move. In the premiere episode of The Associates, for example, there is a battle between two young lawyers for a partnership. One (John Getz) is sympathetic; the other (Joe Regalbuto) is a sycophant. Based on his experience with 10,000 other sitcoms, the viewer thinks that the good guy will win and expects them to play off one another for the rest of the series. But Brooks has Mr. Good not only lose the job, but also quit the firm -and leave...
Brooks' comedy depends on individuals, not situations, and in most shows a viewer would be hard put to retell the plot. Ted Baxter's cheapness on The MTM Show is as funny to this generation as Jack Benny's was 30 years ago, and Lou Grant's scowls are as familiar now as Groucho's raised eyebrows were back then. "Character is what fascinates me," says Brooks. "I love populated things. The great thing about literature is that it tells you that you are not alone...