On Weaving by Anni Albers (review)

Books 343 Hoenich considers time as a fourth dimension and spirit as a fifth dimension in his ‘sun-painting’. He gives an example of an earlier work that includes a clock, a twomillion -year-old petrified shell and several spirals, which are meant to symbolize the infinity of time. A human life is but a blink of an eye compared to the life of the Sun. Artists, perhaps more than others, desire to leave a material legacy that shows that they existed and they want to share something they made that they value highly. I am uncomfortably conscious of these desires. I, independently , conceivedof using the Sun as a medium. I wanted to prepare a surface, perhaps the wall of a building, in such a manner that sunlight and shadow would slowly transform a first picture into others as the Earth rotates. In tracing the history of ‘sun-painting’, Hoenich suggests that the Jesuit Abbd Castel (1688-1757)was probably the first to try the idea. Perhaps Isaac Newton should be given priority. At the age of 23 he visited the Stourbridge Fair in England. He was fascinated by a demonstration of how a prism could cast a spectrum of colours on a surface. Before analyzing the orderly spectral pattern, he enjoyed its beauty and wrote that it was a ‘very pleasing divertisement to view the vivid and intense colours’. I can imagine that some of Hoenich’s ‘sun-paintings’ would have given him great pleasure. As Hoenich states, the real importance of ‘sunpainting ’ is its offer of a source of joy. I agree and I am gratified that through his book he has made it possible for one to share his experiencesand ideas. The Frame Book: Contemporary Design with Traditionaland Modem Methods and Materials. Thelma R. Newman, Jay Hartley Newman and Lee Scott Newman. Crown, New York, 1974.144pp.. illus. Paper, $3.95.Reviewed by M.S. Thompson* This is a well-illustrated account of frame making that should appeal to do-it-yourself enthusiasts. It treats: mounting and matting, frame construction, glass cutting, wood finishing, antiquing, novelty effects, and the cutting, polishing, gluing and forming of acrylic sheet. In general the instructions are clear. The book ends with a helpful glossary, a list of sources of supply (U.S.A.) of materials and an index. It is annoying that the authors do not give instructions for making a strip heater for forming acrylics. Instead, they tell the reader to consult the back of a particular commercial product or ‘for more detailed instructions’ to refer to another book that they have written. On the other hand, they might have omitted the three-page description for making a miter box! It appears that the authors, like so many professional frame makers, are unaware of the fact that prints and drawings on paper may become irreparably damaged if they are left in contact with kraft paper, newspaper, wood and other acidic or chemically unstable papers and wood products. They cite a foam core board enveloped in kraft paper as ‘possiblythe best’ mounting material. They also write: ‘You might consider mounting a fine print on a piece of gold or colored paper, . ...Patterned papers of special design, . .., even newspaper or collage may enhance certain subjects.’ For mats, 100% rag or chemically pure board should be used. Caroline Keck has pointed to this aspect in the framing of fine prints (Museum News 50, 10 (Jan. 1972)). Plastics as Sculpture.Thelma R. Newman. Chilton, Radnor, Penn., 1974.223 pp., illus. $16.95.Reviewed by Thomas A. Rose** Over the past several years a number of artists’ handbooks on plastic materials have been published. Like Newman’s other books, this one is profusely illustrated. Briefly discussed ~~ *4Rue Rambuteau, 75003 Paris, France. **Studio Arts Dept., 208Art Building, University of Minnesota , Minneapolis, MN 55455,U.S.A. are different plastics and their application to sculpture. She makes no pretense that her book is either a contribution to art or to technology, yet it contains Newman’s familiar unbounded exuberance and enthusiasm and a ‘what the hellwhy not try it’ attitude. Though I do not feel that this book contains any significantly new information not found in her...