cwilleford.theburntorangeheresy-第11节

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an　artist　of　the　time　made　the　pilgrimage；　usually　bringing　along　some　friends。　And　No。　One　was　widely　discussed。
　　〃Sporadic　newspaper　publicity；　the　critical　attention　Debierue　provoked　in　European　art　reviews；　and　word…ofmouth　discussion　of　the　exhibit；　brought　a　steady　stream　of　visitors　to　his　gallery　until　May　25；　1925；　when　he　sold　his　shop　for　the　purpose　of　painting　full　time。
　　〃No。　One；　naturally；　was　a　picture　that　lent　itself　to　varied；　conflicting　opinions。　The　crack　enclosed　by　the　mount；　for　example；　might've　been　on　the　wall　before　Debierue　hung　the　frame　over　it…or　else　it　was　made　on　purpose　by　the　artist。　This　was　a　basic；　if　subjective；　decision　each　critic　had　to　make　for　himself。　The　conclusions　on　this　primary　premise　opened　up　two　diametrically　opposed　lines　of　interpretive　mentary。　The　explicit　versus　the　implicit　meaning　caused　angry　fluctuations　in　the　press。　To　hold　any　opinion　meant　that　one　had　to　see　the　picture　for　himself。　And　the　tiny　gallery　became　a　'must　see'　for　visiting　foreign　journalists　and　art　scholars。
　　〃Most　of　the　mentators　concentrated　their　remarks　on　the　jagged　crack　within　the　frame。　But　there　were　a　few　who　considered　this　point　immaterial　because　the　crack　couldn't　be　moved　if　the　frame　were　to　be　removed。　They　were　wrong。　A　critic　has　to　discuss　what's　there；　not　something　that　may　be　somewhere　else。　And　he　never　exhibited　it　anywhere　else　after　he　sold　his　shop。　The　consensus；　including　the　opinions　of　those　who　actually　detested　the　picture；　was　an　agreement　that　the　crack　represented　the　final　and　inevitable　break　between　traditional　academic　art　and　the　new　art　of　the　twentieth　century。　In　other　words；　No。　One　ushered　in　what　Harold　Rosenberg　has　since　called　'the　tradition　of　the　new。'
　　〃Freudian　interpretations　were　popular；　with　the　usual　sexual　connotations；　but　the　sharpest　splits　were　between　the　Dadaists　and　the　Surrealists　concerning　the　irrational　aspects　of　the　picture。　Most　Surrealists　（Bu？uel　was　an　exception）　held　the　opinion　that　Debierue　had　gone　too　far；　feeling　that　he　had　reached　a　point　of　no　return。　Dadaists；　many　of　them　angered　over　the　use　of　a　gilded　baroque　mounting；　claimed　that　Debierue　hadn't　carried　irrationality　out　far　enough　to　make　his　point　irrevocably　meaningless。　Neither　group　denied　the　powerful　impact　of　No。　One　on　the　art　of　the　times。
　　〃By　1925　Surrealism　was　no　longer　a　potent　art　force…　although　it　was　revived　in　the　thirties　and　rejuvenated　in　the　early　fifties。　And　the　remaining　Dadaists　in　1925；　those　who　hadn't　joined　André　Breton；　were　largely　disorganized。　Nevertheless；　Debierue's　exhibit　was　still　a　strong　attraction　right　up　until　the　day　it　closed。　And　it　was　popular　enough　with　Americans　to　be　included　on　two　different　guided　tours　of　Paris　offered　by　tourist　agencies。
　　〃Once　Nihilistic　Surrealism　became　established　as　an　independent　art　movement；　Debierue　was　in　demand　as　a　speaker。　He　turned　these　offers　down；　naturally…〃
　　〃Naturally？　Doesn't　a　speaker　usually　get　paid？〃
　　〃Yes；　and　he　would've　been　well　paid。　But　an　artist　doesn't　put　himself　in　a　defensive　position。　And　that's　what　happens　to　a　speaker。　A　critic's　supposed　to　speak。　He　weles　questions；　because　his　job　is　to　explain　what　the　artist　does。　The　artist　is　untrained　for　this　sort　of　thing；　and　all　he　does　is　weaken　his　position。　Some　painters　go　around　the　country　on　lecture　tours　today；　carrying　racks　of　slides　of　their　work；　and　they're　an　embarrassed；　inarticulate　lot。　The　money's　hard　to　turn　down；　I　suppose；　but　in　the　end　they　defeat　themselves　and　negate　their　work。　A　creative　artist　has　no　place　on　the　lecture　platform；　and　that　goes　for　poets　and　novelists；　as　well　as　painters。〃
　　〃So　much　for　the　Letters　section　of　The　New　York　Review　of　Books。〃
　　〃That's　right。　At　least　for　poets　and　novelists。　The　nonfiction　writer　is　entitled　to　lecture。　He　started　an　argument　on　purpose　when　he　wrote　his　book；　and　he　has　every　right　to　defend　it。　But　the　painter's　work　says　what　it　has　to　say；　and　the　critic　interprets　it　for　those　who　can't　read　it。〃
　　〃In　that　case；　you're　responsible　to　the　artist　as　well　as　to　the　public。〃
　　〃I　know。　That's　what　I've　been　talking　about。　But　it's　a　challenge；　too；　and　that's　why　I'm　so　excited　about　interviewing　Debierue。　When　Debierue　was　preparing　to　leave　Paris；　following　the　closing　of　his　shop　and　exhibit；　he　granted　an　interview　to　a　reporter　from　Paris　Soir。　He　didn't　say　anything　about　his　proposed　work　in　progress；　except　to　state　that　his　painting　was　too　private　in　meaning　for　either　his　intimate　friends　or　the　general　public。　He　had　decided；　he　said；　not　to　show　any　of　his　future　work　to　the　general　public；　nor　to　any　art　critic　he　considered　unqualified　to　write　intelligently　about　his　painting。
　　〃For　the　'qualified'　critic；　in　other　words；　if　not　for　the　general　public；　the　door　was　left　ajar。
　　〃The　villa　on　the　Riviera　had　been　an　anonymous　gift　to　the　artist；　and　he　had　accepted　it　in　the　spirit　in　which　it　was　offered。　No　strings　attached。　He　wasn't　well…to…do；　but　the　sale　of　his　Montmartre　shop　would　take　care　of　his　expenses　for　several　months。　The　Paris　Soir　reporter　then　asked　the　obvious　question。　'If　you　refuse　to　exhibit　or　to　sell　your　paintings；　how　will　you　live？'
　　〃'That；'　Debierue　replied；　'isn't　my　concern。　An　artist　has　too　much　work　to　do　to　worry　about　such　matters。'　With　his　mistress　clinging　to　his　arm；　Debierue　climbed　into　a　waiting　taxi　and　was　off　to　the　railroad　station。
　　〃Perhaps　it　was　the　naivete　of　his　reply　that　agitated　an　immediate　concern　among　the　painters　he　had　known　and　befriended。　At　any　rate；　an　organization　named　Les　Amis　de　Debierue　was　formed　hastily；　within　the　month　following　his　departure　from　the　city。　It's　never　disbanded。〃
　　〃There　was　an　organization　like　that　formed　for　T。　S。　Eliot；　but　it　disbanded。　The　purpose　was　to　get　Mr。　Eliot　out　of　his　job　at　the　bank。〃
　　〃I　know。　But　Eliot　took　another　job　in　publishing。　Debierue；　so　far　as　we　know；　never　made　another　picture　frame；　except　for　his　own　work。　Les　Amis　held　its　first　fundraising　banquet　in　Paris；　and　through　this　continuing　activity　enough　money　was　collected　to　give　the　artist　a　small　annual　subsidy。　Other　donations　are　still　solicited　from　art　lovers　annually。　I've　been　giving　Les　Amis　de　Debierue　at　least　five　bucks　a　year　since　I　left　graduate　school。
　　〃During　World　War　Two；　the　Germans　let　Debierue　alone。　Thanks　to　two　critical　articles　that　had　linked　his　name　with　Nietzsche；　he　wasn't　considered　as　a　'degenerate'　French　artist。　And　apparently　they　didn't　discover　any　of　his　current　work　to　examine　for　'flaws。'
　　〃When　the　Riviera　was　liberated；　it　was　immediately　transformed　into　an　R　and　R　area　for　U。S。　troops；　and　he　was　soon　visited　by　art　students；　now　in　uniform；　who'd　read　about　him　in　college。　They　mentioned　him　in　their　letters　home；　and　it　didn't　take　long　for　American　art　groups　to　begin　a　fresh　flow　of　clothing；　food；　art　supplies；　and　money　to　his　Riviera　outpost。
　　〃Debierue　had　survived　two　world　wars；　and　a　dozen　ideological　battles。
　　〃The　first　three　reviews　of　Debierue's　Riviera　works；　with　a　nod　to　symbolisme；　are　self…explanatory。　'Fantasy；'　'Oblique；　and　'Rain'　are　the　names　given　to　his　first　three　'periods'…as　assigned　by　the　first　three　critics　who　were　allowed　to　examine　his　paintings。　The　fourth　period；　'Chironesque；'　is　so　hermetic　it　requires　some　amplification。〃
　　Berenice　nodded　in　assent。
　　〃A　paucity　of　scholastic　effort　was　put　into　the　examination　of　these　four　important　essays。　Little　has　been　published；　either　in　book　or　monograph　form　as　in…depth　studies　of　each　period…the　way　Picasso's　Rose　and　Blue　periods　have　been　covered。　This　is　understandable；　because　the　public　never　saw　any　of　these　pictures。
　　〃The　established　critic　prefers　to　examine　the　original　work；　or　at　least　colored　slides　of　that　work；　before　he　reaches　his　own　conclusions。　To　refute　or　to　agree　with　the　critic　who's　seen　the　work　puts　a　man　on　shaky　ground。　Each　new　article；　as　it　appeared；　however；　received　considerable　attention。　But　writers　were　chary　of　making　any　expanded　judgments　based　upon　the　descriptions　alone。〃
　　〃Yes；　I　can　understand　that。〃
　　〃This　general　tendency　didn't　hold　true　for　Louis　Galt's　essay；　'Debierue：　The　Chironesque　Period；　which　appeared　in　the　Summer；　1958；　The　Nonobjectivist。　It　was　reprinted　in　more　than　a　dozen　languages　and　art　journals。
　　〃Galt；　you　see；　was　known　as　an　avowed　purist　in　his　approach　to　nonobjective　art；　and　that's　why　he　published　his　article　in　The　Nonobjectivist　when　he　could've　had　it　published　by　Art　News　for　ten　times　as　much　money。　Galt　had　once　gone　so　far　as　to　call　Mondrian　a　'traitor'　in　print　when　the　Dutchman　gave　up　his　black…and…white　palette　to　experiment　with　color　in　his　linear　paintings。　I　didn't　agree　with　him　there；　but　he　made　some　telling　points。　But　with　so　many　able　critics　available；　all　of　them　anxious　to　see　Debierue's　post…World　War　Two　work；　it　was　considered　a　damned　shame　that　he'd　chosen　a　purist　who　would　only　look　at　the　new　work　from　a　prejudiced　viewpoint。
　　〃The　appellation　'Chironesque'　was　considered　as　a　derogat