University Daily Kansan
Friday, April 23,1976
5
Art history labeled bunk
By BECCI BREINING
A nationally known artist told a group of students and teachers Wednesday afternoon to totally disregard what art historians and art critics sav.
Bell reviewed KU student art in an in-
llection Wednesday night in the
Kansas City Galleria.
"Never believe what the art historians and writers tell you--that's bullshit—and it shouldn't concern you." Leland Bell of the Woold Auditorium about 89 people in Woodruff Auditorium.
HE CONTINUALLY asserted that art
has been called to not to what be
called 'sociolists of art.
Bell, a Hallmark Visiting Artist lecturer,
discussed a wide variety of paintings during his afternoon slide show. As he moved across the stage animatedly, he injected a French vocabulary and a humorous British accent, to the delight of his listeners.
Art critics are misguided, for example,
when they criticize work done by an artist in
his own style.
"They (critics and historians) learn to accept certain aspects of an artist," he said, and when that aspect doesn't appear in a work, it is matured in later years, they cochonm him.
"I hope the art historians in the audience won't get back at me, but they always do. In their words," she said.
Bell, whose reputation is established in both painting and teaching, said he didn't discuss his own paintings because he couldn't be objective about them.
"You can't teach painting," he said after the seminar, "but you can communicate enthusiasm to students and stick up for them. You feel and don't feel about art at the mugger."
Bell said he would be suspicious of a friend who could teach painting as a method to do it.
One of the few things a teacher can do is to turn students on to the sensitivity of painting.
Bell told students that when they painted, they must invent a "elastic reality."
"When you're doing a painting, you may be way out in the middle of nothing and inside your head you aren't sure where you are." "When you're talking about reality that's happening on the canvas."
BELL SAID confronting the complexity of reality and recreating violence and power was what made men such as Renoir and Rembrandt great.
"In the end those men could actually say something," he said, "but they had to go through a long process until they arrived at the fruition of their work in later years.
"They accepted the challenge of complexity."
While explaining a work by the French painter Juan Gris, one of his favorite works, said, "Gris commented on the world, a world in which we artists are faced with an existential challenge." He tried to realign reality, human endeavor, and all that had come before him.
BELL SAID one crime of art critics and
historians was that they tried to fit artists and their paintings into categories. Only a writer would try foolishly to transform a painting, he said, and it's boneless to do so.
In every painting, a portion of a painter's good points and bad points is displayed, he said. The object is to make the good points always outweigh the bad.
The time it takes to do a painting is unimportant, he said, as is the era in which it was created.
"Don't ever get the idea of a work depends on time," Bell said. "A call to tomorrow and a painting done in the second century could last forever."
BELL CRITICIZED the high regard for
perpetual element among many museum
keepers.
"Very few museum people are formally educated and trained in art." They're career people who are out to make it in a Hollywood sense," he said. "They're trendy guys. I'd like to get the art in museums back into the hands of people who are artists."
Bell said he disliked the work of such artists as Norman Rockwell because their paintings were
"They don't build dimensional relationships," he said. "They work in an additive sense by putting one detail on top of another without thinking of the final idea.
Faculty members honored for musical achievements
Seven University of Kansas faculty members have been honored this semester.
Stanley Shumway, director of graduate studies for the School of Fine Arts, was honored in January at the Dellus Festival in Jacksonville, Fla., where his first-place winning instrumental, "Spells," was performed.
Edward Mattila, director of the KU Electronics Studio, was elected cochairman of the Mid-western region of the American Society of University Composers in February.
One of his compositions, "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird," was recorded by
CHARLES HOAG, professor of music theory, recently was named the Kansas Composer of the Year by the Kansas Federated Clubs, and was honored at its meeting April 8 in Independence, Mo., among three of his compositions were placed.
The National Endowment of the Arts
recently awarded John Pozdro, chairman of the department of music theory and composition, a grant to compose a piano piece which will be performed at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, D.C., next year.
PODZRO HAS recently completed an opera commission in part by the Kansas Cultural Arts Commission, which will be shown in Lawrence next fall.
A composition for carillon by Albert Gerken, University carillonneur in charge of the Campanile, was played Jan 30 in New York City and then at Bok Singing Tower, Lake Wales, Fla.
JAMES C. BARNES, staff arranger for University Bands, was commissioned by the Flattmouth, Neb., High School music department to compose a piece for band and chorus, which will be performed there in May.
Richard Schutte, teaching assistant in music theory, recently placed first in the Kansas Music Theory Association composition contest.
Pianist places in contest
David Wewl placed second among seven pianists in the National Collegiate Artists Competition, sponsored by the Music Association, National Association on March 29 in Dallas.
"You have to play the same competition in each contest which gets old," he said.
Wehr, Richmond, Ky., junior, said yesterday that it was an honor to have placed second, but that he probably wouldn't compete next year.
State and regional contests eliminated a few would-be participants in the national competition, Wehr said, because no one can participate in event without placing in previous contests.
Wehr's 90-minute program included Peter I. Tchakovsky's "First Concerto;" a sonda by Samuel Bauer, a 20th century U.S. composer; selections from Johann
Wehr was the first place winner in the Kansas State Music Teachers competition in November at Emporia Kansas State College.
Besistan Bach and Sergel Rachmaninov, a
20th century composer and pianist.
He also placed first in the regional competition at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, where he competed with pianists from Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Colorado and Nebraska.
Weir placed first in last year's Chopin Competition in New York City.
He came to KU last fall on a full-tuition scholarship from the Cleveland Institute of Music. He has studied with Richard Angeloet, chairman of the piano department at Costa International known Portuguese pianists who is a visiting professor at KU.
Music and art camps expanded
Despite a shortened schedule, the Midwestern Music and Art Camp this summer will include more programs than in past years.
Divisions of astronomy and languages and linguistics will be offered this summer, Thomas Stidham, assistant director of the camp, said recently. The programs are based on music, art, journalism and speech and debate programs previously offered.
Stdiham said no programs had been discontinued.
The camp is for junior high and high school students from across the nation. The regular program for high school students is shortened from five to four weeks this year.
THE SHORTENED schedule for the 39th annual camp is due to increased operating costs, Stidham said. Campers will pay $595, the same as in 1975, he said.
That cost includes food, housing in University residence halls and fees. The cost may be reduced by as much as $300 for students who receive camp scholarships.
"It's a scary-looking price because it
figures out to $150 a week," Stildham said. "But 'it's low for a chance to work with some of the greatest (Musicians and artists) in the country."
Stidham said the camp's schedule also was cut because some parents of camp participants had said that five weeks was too long.
PRICES FOR FOOD, housing and other materials were increasing too fast for the economy.
Other costs that must be paid by the camp include salaries for 40 teachers and a full-time instructor. The cost of the camp and are paid a stipend of at least $75 for the duration of the camp. Their room
"Artistically and musically, we think we accomplish the same thing in a shorter time."
Students who supervise are on duty 24 hours a day, six days a week. he said.
"We're not trying to make money," he said. "We're just trolling to break even."
he said. The entire camp program also includes cheerleading and drill team programs. It may have as many as 2,500 participants, he said.
About 1,000 students participated last year in the music camp, and a slight increase has been reported.
STUDENTS FROM 40 states are expected to attend, Stidham said. He no priority was given to Kansas students over those from out of state.
The times for the various camp programs are overlapping, Stidham said, but the overall program runs from June 6 to July 24. The longest camp period is four weeks.
Recruiting brochures for the camp are sent to every high school in the nation, he said.
The annual camps were started by Russell Wiley, former University of Kansas band director. Wiley, who retired in 1974, return as a guest concert this summer.
SOME OTHER guest conductors for the music camp are Sir Vivian Dunn, a Briton who has been a guest conductor in previous years) Col. Arnold Gabriel, conductor of the orchestra of the San Antonio and Victor Alessandro, conductor of the San Antonio symphony orchestra.
JAZZ JAZZ JAZZ only at
PAUL GRAY'S JAZZ PLACE
926 Mass. Above Jenkins Music
Tonite & Saturday the JOE UTTERBACK TRIO Exciting Modern Jazz
Call 843-8575 or 842-9458 for Reservations
Open 8:00 p.m. Music Starts at 9:00 p.m.
BEER—PIZZA—POPCORN—PEANUTS—SOFT DRINKS
KU Backgammon Tournament
Sunday, April 25----1:00
Kansas Union Jayhawker Room
Sanctioned by the World Backgammon Club Prizes & Master Points will be awarded $5.00 entry fee
For reservations, call Rich Boyer, 842-3475 Deadline for reservations-Friday, April 23, midnight Hal Maganel, Pres. of K.C.Backgammon Club director of tournament
DAILY HIGHLIGHTS
MONDAY — Weekend Recovery Night.
Mellow music until midnight followed by boogie.
Wine Specials.
TUESDAY — South of the Border Night
Latin flair and Jose Quervo beverages at two for one.
Both until midnight.
WEDNESDAY — Ladies and Gents Night (alternating weeks).
$1 cover for your date includes free beer set up.
THURSDAY — Dance lessons, contests, and prizes.
$1 cover
FRIDAY — T.G.I.F.
FRIDAY & Reduced beverage prices 4-7 p.m.
SATURDAY — Dance, Drink, and Date.
Couples $3.00. Singles $2.00.
trance under awning
South side of building
7th & Mass. 8-2 a.m. Monday-Thursday
841-4666 8-3 a.m. Friday & Saturday
University-Community Service Scholarship/Award
As a result of the efforts of many students on the evening of April 20, 1970 in the saving of furniture, art objects and invaluable service to firefighters during the Kansas Union fire, some insurance carriers decided to present to the Kansas Union a gift in the amount of $5,000. After presentation of the gift, it was suggested that the Student Union Activities Board seek those students deserving of being awarded scholarship/awards from the gift.
Qualifications
- Regularly enrolled students at the University of Kansas at the time of application (spring term) and at the time of the receipt of the award (fall term).
- Service to the University and/or the Lawrence community.
Applications
- Applications must be received by 5:00 p.m., Friday, April 23, 1976 in the SUA office, Kansas Union.
- More information and applications available Monday, April 12 in the SUA office, Kansas Union.
Look in Kansan classified advertising