Art and Society 1: War by Ken Baynes, and: Art and Society 2: Work by Ken Baynes and Alan Robinson (review)

Books 271 Art and Society 1: War. Ken Baynes. Lund Humphries, London, 1970. 96 pp., illus. €1.75. Art and Society 2: Work. Ken Baynes and Alan Robinson. Lund Humphries, London, 1970. 96 pp., illus. €2.10. Reviewed by: Alfonz Lengyel* Gordon Redfernsuggestedin 1968that the Welsh Art Councilorganizea seriesof exhibitionson‘War’, ‘Work‘, ‘Worship’, ‘Sex’ and ‘Food’. The books on ‘War’ and on ‘Work‘were available at the time of the ‘Work‘ Exhibition at the National Museum of Wales. The introductions of both books are identical, which I find an unnecessary repetition. Each book presents a characteristic theme selected from basic human experiences as visually expressed in the past and the present. The authors treat art not as an aesthetic matter but as a social activity. The author of ‘War’underlines two basic aspects of art: the creativity of artists and the acceptance of their art by the public. Artists are presented as social heroes but the reactions of the public to them are left unclear. This is understandable, since frequentlytheviews ofthepublicand ofartists onsocial questionsdo not coincide. The author poses a large number of difficult and stimulating questions to which he givesanswersin the form of well-sounding generalizations. He fails to point out the character of governmentsin the world of today, any of which is capable of brainwashing its citizens. Thetext issketchy,eventhough the author triesto hold it together by giving in each chapter a characteristic human practice derived from the nature of man. It is well illustrated but some of the illustrations do not support the text. For example, it is stated that Uccello’s ‘Route of San Romano’ is the result of his obsession with his subject. But, as I have pointed out in my book ‘Quattrocento’ (Dubuque, Iowa: Kendal-Hunt, 1971. pp. 40 and 154) Uccello was obsessed with aspects of perspective rather than with depicting a battle. Although Medici commissioned the painting shortly afterthe occurrenceof the battle, it took Uccello25 years to complete the painting because he wished it to demonstrate his grasp of perspective! Thesecondbook, ‘Work’,dealswiththe problems of workers rather than with work itself. The authors do give a clear presentation of the importance of the contribution of the working class to the creation of a new social order. But I was surprised to find no mention of the works of Courbet, who played an important role in the social revolutions of 19th-centuryEurope. Other socially conscious artists, such as Daumier, Millet and the American Social Realists, are not mentioned either. The authors of ‘Work‘admit that they have not done justice to women. Ironically, the two best illustrationsdealingwith them show an immaculate Madonna in black and white and a playboy ‘Bunny Girl’ in color! *Art HistoryandClassicalArcheologyProgram,Northern Kentucky State College, Highland Heights, KY 41076, U.S.A. Theproduction aspectsof the books are excellent. I find that the authors of the two books should be congratulated for their basically comprehensible texts that do not require a reader to refer to a glossaryof technicalterms and to appendices,which the general public should appreciate. The Art of Black Africa. Elsy Leuzinger. Studio Vista, London, 1972. 378 pp., illus. €5.50. Reviewed by: Jack D. Flam* For many years, Elsy Leuzinger’sAfrica: TheArt of the Negro Peoples (1960)has been one of the most valuablesurveysof African art. While it servedas a general introduction to the subject, its scholarly, detailedand comprehensivetext alsomadeit auseful referencework. Although the publishersof her new book describe it in a similar way, it is neither scholarly,nor detailed,nor comprehensive-nor isit particularly useful. It consists of a general text that is made to look longer than it really is by virtue of wide margins and generoususe of blank space, and a number of photographs that, although they are very elaborately numbered, are not specifically referred to anywhere in the text. After a brief general introduction, the subject is divided into seven major geographicregions, which are further subdivided into twenty-four style areas. Eachmajor sectionisintroducedby a brief historical and/or topographical description and the subsectionsdiscusstribal stylesandtheir affinities. Each section is illustrated by a number of interspersed full-page plates, some in color, and is followed by several pages of smaller photographs, three or four to...