Hyperrealism by Linda Chase, Super Realism: A Critical Anthology ed. by Gregory Battcock (review)

344 Books architecture and the urban environment is entirely neglected, although the subject took on wide interest during the last period of the survey. Nevertheless, these omissions do not diminish the value of this compilation of a vast amount of information on 'sculpture in process' in the U.S.A. The Bachelor Machines. Harald Szeeman, ed. Rizzoli, New York, 1976.236 pp.; illus. $14.95. Reviewed by Joseph Adler* The 14 essays in this book all explore from their own particular perspectives the theme of bachelor machines. They present a bewildering journey through 20th-Century iconography and offer little assistance to any'newcomer to the mechano-morphic world of Duchamp and his contemporaries, except (or the short biographical details that are included at the back. The book was published in conjunction with a series of exhibitions on the same subject and its copious supply of black and white illustrations give an intriguing insight into what can best be described as modern mythology. One ofthe book's more outstanding features is the diversity of its illustrations, which enable it to go some way towards fulfilling the editor's objective-'to visualise the myth!' For here the images ofSaturn, St. Theresa, Barbarella, Frankenstein and many others are juxtaposed with an amazing collection of machine paraphernalia , thus compounding a fascinating view of 'bachelor machines'. The text, on the other hand, forms a major weakness. It is often tortured by translation or by the absence of any coherent thesis. There are discussions on the 'anthropomorphism of the machine'; on the writer Casares, Picabia, Roussel and on other correlated issues. Some of these are of a dull socio-historical nature, while others are lost in the penumbra of metaphysical confusion. This is not true of Peter Gorsen's interesting examination of the sexual symbolism of the machine, and Marc Le Bot provides relief with a pleasantly lucid discussion on the myth of the machine. Also included is Michel Carrouges's analysis in which he identifies the bachelor machine metaphor and traces it in the works ofPoe, Jarry, Kafka, Duchamp and others. Furthermore, we are presented with a reiteration of Arturo Schwartz's alchemical interpretation of 'The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even', where Duchamp's esoteric work is dissected with a distinctly Jungian scapel. The book powerfully represents how ideas displaced from science and technology have permeated culture, in general, and the visual arts, in particular. Unfortunately, science and' technology themselves have not been considered more closely in relationship to art. So what could have been a truly revealing discussion on the art-science nexus has turned out to be a nocturnal perambulation. Hyperrealism. Linda Chase. Rizzoli, New York, 1975. 76 pp., illus. Paper, $7.50. Super Realism: A Critical Anthology. Gregory Battcock, ed. Dutton, New York, 1975. 322 pp., illus. Paper, $6.95. Reviewed by Donna Stein** Two new books discuss the recent stylistic phenomena variously known as New Realism, Super Realism, Hyperrealism, New Realities, Photo Realism, etc. Hyperrealism by Linda Chase is an English translation of a book first published in French in 1973. In large format, it is profusely illustrated in black and white and contains numerous good color reproductions. Chase's essay considers how the painter uses a photograph: to make paintings about how the camera sees, to make paintings about how the eye sees and as a technical discipline. She weaves pertinent quotes by the artists into the text and carefully provides a vocabulary by which to analyze and comprehend the New Realist art. In addition to *Dept. ofLiberal Studies in Science, The University, Manchester M13 9PL, England. **41 West 72nd St., New York, NY 10023, U.S.A. short biographies ofthe 23 artists discussed in the text, there is an amusing and cryptic introduction by Salvador Dali. Super Realism QY Gregory Battcock belongs to his series of critical anthologies and is a compendium of articles divided into four parts-What is Super Realism; Theory and Criticism; The Artists; Gallery of Art Works. Some of the chapters were previously published in art periodicals. Each section of his anthology includes different views in an effort to present a complete picture of the movement. Before each article there is a short...