Rings for the Finger by George Frederick Kunz (review)

Books 351 Is the book‘s function ultimately didactic, as Piene proclaims, or is it a new kind of art object? Probably both but the price tag covers the latter, which seems to belie his claim for freeing the arts from tight economic bonds and making them public property. Certainly the argument is radical enough ;contemporary institutions are attacked and remedies suggested. Yet, there is a strong current here that suggests that the ills of a society can be changed by changing appearances rather than objective conditions, for he says: ‘Oilrefineries at night are beautiful but stink. Maybe to unstink them would make them even more beautiful’ (p. 8 . ) and ‘Cars can be thought of as sculptures’ (p. 3 1 ) . This may be well and good for art students who have never worked in an auto-assembly plant. If such embellishments to the environment were rendered wholesale, would more art be realized or would there merely be more aesthetic tranquilizers? We find that Piene’s work as an artist is exciting and immediate but that his politics of art reveals a naive and misplaced radicalism. New Ways in Collage. Mary Jane Mayer and Mary Webb. Van Nostrand Reinhold, London, 1974. 95 pp., illus. f5.85. Reviewed by John Shown* The book dwells mostly on the complicated techniques of collage made with rice paper that are utilized by Mayer. I found nothing particularly new in her techniques or in her style, nevertheless, I was impressed by her prolificness. (On the book jacket it is stated that Mayer, who lives in Hawaii, has had, among her many commissions, one for the preparation of over 2200 collages for the Hilton and Sheraton Hotels in Hawaii.) Sandwiched in between the first four chapters on Mayer’s tedious, yet refined, techniques for producing collages and Chapter 6, entitled ‘Mass Production of a Decorative Collage’ (imagine Mayer’s gleeful dilemma over producing 2200 collages!), is one entitled ‘A Few Words About Inspiration’. She niggardly devotes too few words on this subject. Personally, I recommend that art instructors bypass this book and, instead, invest the money in glue and a few fine reproductions of collages by Picasso or Max Erst. They can then concentrate on inspiring students to make inventive collages rather than on learning time consuming methods that in Mayer’s case only result in craft works of mediocrity. Clearly, this book is an extension of the current craze in the U.S.A. for decoupage and collage that is promoted by the Girl Scouts organization and women’s magazines. Incidentally, nine other artists and their varied techniques are included in the book. I was particularly impressed with the work of Mirella Belshe. The first line in the book reads: ‘Anyone can make a collage!’ The last lines read: “‘PAPIER COLLE” is glued paper. In the very earliest collages [Mayer and Webb are historically incorrect here, of course] Picasso called his work collage, Braque called hispapier colle‘.The distinction has become unimportant.’ It may be true that anyone can make a collage but not everyone who makes a collage is an artist and the distinction is very important. Principle8 of Interactive Computer Graphics. William M. Newman and Robert F. Sproull. McGraw-Hill, New York, 1973. 607 pp., illus. $15.95. Reviewed by Dick Land** I am most enthusiastic about this book. This is both an introduction and a study of what has been done up to the present in research on algorithms and systems for producing computer graphics. While readers should have a background in algebra and trigonometry, the book is ‘65 Sullivan St., New York, NY 10012, U.S.A. **lo Trapelo Rd., Belmont, MA 02178,U S A . designed to prepare them for the more advanced mathematics that is used in later parts. Clarity of presentation has been a guiding principle. The text will be difficult to understand for those who have not used a computer graphics system or do not have one available with which to perform the exercises involved. Certainly, many topics have been omitted that might be implied by the title. Display devices are surveyed briefly but human factorsand vision limitationsarenot mentioned. Still, it is amazing how many useful aspects of...