GROUP
STATEMENT
- continued from page 2:
... I
think that what Motherwell describes is the problem of knowing
what tradition is, and being willing to reject it in part. This
requires familiarity with his past. I think we have this
familiarity, and if we depart from tradition, it is out of
knowledge, not innocence.
de Kooning:
I agree that tradition is part of the whole world now. The point
that was brought up was that the French artists have some 'touch'
in making an object. They have a particular something that makes
them look like a 'finished' painting. They have a touch which I am
glad not to have.
Baziotes:
We are getting mixed up with the French tradition. In talking
about the necessity to 'finish' a thing, we then said American
painters 'finish' a thing that looks 'unfinished,' and the French,
they 'finish' it. I have seen Matisses that were more 'unfinished'
and yet more 'finished' than any American painter. Matisse was
obviously in a terrific emotion at the time, and it was more
'unfinished' than 'finished.'
Sterne:
I think that the titling of paintings is a problem. The titles a
painter gives his paintings help to classify him, and this is
wrong. A long poetic title or number. . . . Whatever you do seems
a statement of attitude. The same thing if you give a descriptive
title.... Even refraining from giving any at all creates a
misunderstanding.
Reinhardt:
If a title does not mean anything and creates a misunderstanding,
why put a title on a painting?
Gottlieb:
I think the point Miss Sterne raised is inevitable. That is,
whenever an artist puts a title on a painting, some interpretation
about his attitude will be made. It seems obvious that titles are
necessary when everybody uses them - whether verbal or numbers;
for purposes of exhibition, identification, and the benefit of the
critics there must be some way of referring to a picture. It seems
to me that the artist, in making up titles for his pictures, must
decide what his attitude is.
Reinhardt:
The question of abandoning titles arose, I am sure, because of
esthetic reasons. Even titles like 'still life' and 'landscape' do
not say anything about a painting. If a painting does have a
reference or association of some kind, I think the artist is apt
to add a title. I think this is why titles are not used by a great
many modern painters - because they don't have anything to do with
the painting itself.
continued
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