6)

CONTROVERSY ABOUT THE PRINCIPLES IN SOVIET ART
By Margaret Carter

EDITOR'S NOTE; Owing to limited space, we regret that we are unable to complete
Miss Carter's article in this issue. However, it will be completed in the final
edition, The artist's attitude toward the State and his position in it should
be of interest to us all. ;
I think that these notes are exceedingly interesting in that they show what has
resulted in antistic expression under one country's experiment in one form of
socialistic government.

I do not think, however, that it is the business of the government to dictate to
the artist what he shall do.

It is most important that the artist interpret richly, fully and dynamically the
various phases of humanity; if he did not do this his work would have no meaning.
But his expression must be individual and not a mass product nor an expression
limited by the dictates of any group in power.

Quoting from the article I have read I find this "Certain views one never por-
trayed for example, the picturesque cupolas of the Byzantine architectures Archi-
tecturally, the painter depicts buildings in construction, factories". This
statement denotes a limiting, a hampering of artistic expression. A wicite of art
must firstly stand up from its plastic qualities and from the fact that it con-
veys something of significance to people. The choice of subject material is not
the criterion of a picture.

If some young, modern Russian, with the sou] and functional qualities of an
artist, happened to be greatly moved by viewing a Byzantine cupola in some strange
mood == what then? Must his soviet conscience or his artistic conscience dictate
to him what shall be done? Why should he not, with all the plastic powers he
possesses create a picture to the best of his ability expressing what he felt
about this sale ak kind of a building?

This does not mean to condemn the painting of a factory rather, I condemm the
idea involved that anyone attempt to exclude anything as art expression and ex-
ploits something in its stead, All things are of potential aesthetic value and
it is the discriminating mind of the artist which chooses from this material at
hand and, by a subtle blending and mysterious cohesion evolves the work of art.
As art students you will be familiar with the great painting by El Greco, "Toledo
in a Storm". Here is a landscape with buildings and it is possible, to one
familiar with Spain, to recognize the architecture as Spanish. But docs one
recognize those buildings as architecture of a Spain going through the grilling
tortuous time of the Spanish Inquisition?

Isn't it more important that one can respond to the great surging rhythm of sky,

trees and buildings rather than to identify only one kind of building in the land-.

scape?
(To be concluded in our next issue)

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satin o-anessettiiee i acieaiaa

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