Will Insley

NOTE: Minor changes have been made for performance; eg, insertion of
      "of" or re-duplication of "to" in parallel sentence thingies.
      (We appologise for the inconvenience)

The General Public is just a dis-interested in Advanced Art, as ever


Sensibility: engineered/ scientific/ geometric/ 
             calculated/ measured/ 
             removed/ 

             accuteness of perception.

Avant-gard: construction/ object/ thing/ diagram/ 
            reduced/ minimal/ basic/ 
            furtherest extension of sensibility/ 

            formal visual construction.

Painting becomes the diagrammed object.

      Definite abandoning of historical recilinear context 
      of painting as contained illusion, 
      and an extension into actual surrounding space, 
      to motivate and 
      to be motivated in turn.

    The painting has become, at its farthest limit, 
    a fragment of flat visual material.

    As the problem has been clarified and reduced, 
    the possibilities also diminish. 

    The problem of particular color seems to be 
        less and less important. 

    Color becomes only a material coating 
    giving a visual extension through intensity 
    and light reflection to the base material object.

    What really counts is the object itself.

    The reduction of the painting to a flat silhouette 
    carries this tendencey to its extremee.

    The ultimate values of sensitivity 
    in the proportion of elements and 
    the relation of closed and open space are exposed
    to the most stringent test. 

    Only relationships of the most basic nature can 
    with-stand continual observation when all of
    the emotional and seductive icing of 
    the historical cake are removed.


The painting is a flat, visual object -- a systematic
    relationship of measured elements,
    calculated to project a visual force
    beyond the material thing.

Sculpture and painting are visual engineering
    with no function other than visual existence.

Sculpture extends out more and more
    to contain rather than occupy space, and
    finally through a vast increase in scale
    to become a monumental non-functional 
    architectural environment.

There is a greater use of manufactured materials,
    steel, plastic, glass -- as opposed to the
    natural materials of stone and wood. 

Sculpture approaches the mass produced object.

The division between painting and sculpture tends to
      disappear as each assumes 
      characteristics of the other.

The nature of the avant0-garde is to explore the
      extreme limits and the previously neglected
      areas between traditional categories.

The painting becomes a wall.

THe wall bends and becomes an environment.

THe limits meet.

Sensibility has changed since the fifty's.

Methods of work and thought are more direct 
     and specific.

The variable choices of personal emotion and
      chance give way to a desire for logic and order.

The blob is replaced by the square.

To call this an academy, 
    a context of established pattern and rule,
    is premature.

The trend of thought seems to be more one of how
      to get through 
      and beyond the limiations of style.

What is considered yesterday's avant-garde?
      Abstract imp, po, op?

Certainly none of these could be considered 
    the rule basis of current thought.

Yesterday's avant-garde becomes not today's 
     academy, but today's side issue.

At this late date, the only rule from
     abstract imp. would seem to be 
     the danger of too much freedom.

Pop op came (and went?) so quickly,
    much valuable ground is still left
    un-digested.

    Many pop op artists are still at the
    beginning of investigations,
    momentarily hindered by the stigma   ** et al: JP ? **
    of last year's label.     

The artist's condition has changed.

The acceleration of fashionable attention tends 
    to limit the aperture of public view 
    at any one time.

A reputation can be made and forgotten 
    withing a few seasons.

Behind all this, the genuinely creative artist
    just keeps on working.

The exhibiting and hire-ing of advanced
    artists by college and university 
    art schools probably does as much as
    anything to lend academic status to
    the avant-garde in the eyes of the student.

However, the dirersity of means and ends
    should soon be apparent.

Ultimately, the student is faced with possibilites
     beyond the rules.

The general public is just as dis-interested 
      in advanced art as ever.

Joe Doe in ANY TOWN would rather buy a Cadillac and
     thus his neighbor's approval and envy.

The limited public is paying more attention.

But then, art is getting more attention thru 
     various media.

How many of them feel they really need it
     is something that I honestly don't know.

I guess that's enough for a start.