The daily worker., 1935-02-15
Reviewed by
JACOB KAINEN

cents.
Reviewed by
JACOB KAINEN
NOT so long ago, artists confined
~ their wrath against existingscon-
ditions to the issuing of literarious
manifestoes. These documents set
forth one esoteric doctrine or an
other as the nostrum for settling all
problems. Some were vigorously
mystical. Some enriched the tech
nical equipment of the artist. Some
were revolutionary, both from the
social and plastic points of view.
Yet, at one time, they all performed
necessary spade work and broke the
ground for a broader and more ma
ture method of voicing the needs of
the artists. The Artists Union is
the organizational form into which
these early groupings have crystal
lized, and Art Front, its organ, fol-
lows their best fighting traditions
on a more concrete and practical
basis.
A great deal of space is devoted to
annihilating Mayor LaGuardias
Committee of 100 and to exposing
his cynical sidetracking of the Mu-
nicipal Art Center issue. Not only
is the cover of Art Front an abstract
of the Federation of Architects plan
for an Art Center, which, by the
way, makes for very handsome
cover design, but a whole set of
architectural plans are included,
two substantial drawings and an
article. The plans and the article
are of little aid, but the drawings
by Gropper and Shahn are dev-
astating. Alfred Sinks "Potted
Palms and Public Art" which deals
with LaGuardia's Committee of 100,
suffers from an excess of imma-
ture humor. LaGuardia is con-
stantly referred to as "the Dream
er," and the language generally is
Sarcastic" and circumlocutory.
"On Work Relief" the contribu-
ton of Project Committee 259, deals
with the tactics of the College Art
Association in trying to prevent or
ganization on the projects. The
devious schemes Matched by the off,
cials of the association makes for
amusing as well as instructive
reading.
Art Front has real scoop in
"Surrealist Revolution - Counter
Clockwise. 1t concerns itself with
the recent resignation of the execu-
tive director and a department
chairman from the staff of the Mu-
scum of Modern Art to begin the
organization of fascist party.
Some of the misadventures which
befell them in the process will stir
up laughter to say the least.
Stuart Davis tackles the American
Realists and brings them down
hard. Commenting on "The q. S.
Scene in Art as put forth in Time
Magazine, Davis exposes the shall
low nature of the American Realists
and points out their chauvinist
character. In a style that is strictly
dynamite, Davis proves that they
really mean Hearst's New York
American Scene"
NADA FOR PROPAGANDA" is a
~ fine Marxist analysis of the
origin and meaning of Surrealism
as the sterilization of Dada IN post
war Europe. Jerome Klein shows
how Dadaism was launched as an
anti-bourgeois movement, how Sur
realism inherited it's "ansrchic i'm
pulsiveness," and how Surrealism,
through its spokesman, Andre Bre-
ton, finally accepted" dialectical
materiahsln. Klein believes that
Surrealism is theoretically in
capable of giving a point of
leverage in the real world" and,
because of this, may be incapable of
projecting a revolutionary class
consciousness.
Elliot Paul contributes a we'll
informed article, tracing the devel-
opment of satire in Spanish art up
to Quintanilla. Paul swings a left
hook in passing at Hemingway, who
contends that American artists
should not presume to do satirical
work until they have passed
through a revolution. did you ever
have horse shot from under you?"
Moses Soyer reviews Moses
Soyer's show at Kleemann's favor
ably, and also comments on the Sec
ond Whitney Biennial of American
Art Soyer warns against the chau-
vinism bound UP in the slogan
Paint America" but urges artists
to paint the American scene in it's
true class-values.
The Commercial Artists section
of the Artists Union issues its pro-
gram, which includes wage scales
and hours for employed artists, ap-
prentices, unemployed artists and
free-lance artists. Clarence Vein
stock contributes a letter on Saliva
dor Dali.
I should like to see Art Front deal
at greater length on specific in
stances of the degradation of art
and the humiliation of artists by
the administration. Also, facts and
figures of unemployment among
artists in the United States can
clearly show how slim the outlook
for artists is under capitalism.
Anna SokOIOw's GrOuD