1ZB Tackles Modern Art

New Zealand Listener, Volume 21, Issue 535, 23 September 1949, Page 9

1ZB Tackles Modern Art

"AS the arts advance towards their perfection," wrote Edmund Burke, "the science of criticism advances with equal pace." Burke was writing almost 200 years ago, and in any case he is best remembered for more practical thoughts than those he entertained on The Sublime and the Beautiful, so that the layman to-day might be forgiven for doubting the accuracy of that particular observation. It so often appears that at least the avant-garde of art is showing a clean pair of heels to the mainguard of criticism. Consider, for example, the pictures which are reproduced on this page. It is obvious that none can be regarded as representational art and that, therefore, they must be judged by other criteria than those normally employed by the "I know what _I like" school of criticism, to which most of us belong. Having considered the three pictures -that at the top of the page, "Wounded Bird," was painted by Picasso in 1911; at centre is Marc Chagall’s "The Birth-

day" (1915), and below is Miro’s "Person Throwing a Stone at a Bird" (1926)-readers will be better able to follow a discussion which will be broadcast from 1ZB on October 2, in the Citizens’ Forum session. The chairman will be Maurice Lee, and the panel will be P. Redwood, J. McDougall, R, Isbey and F. Pinker. The subject for discussion will be "Can ordinary people really appreciate art?" and the pictures reproduced here will form the basis of the discus-’ sion.