PICABIA EXHIBITION AT THE LITTLE GALLERY OF THE PHOTO-
SECESSION, MARCH SEVENTEEN TO APRIL FIFTH, MDCCCCXIII

PREFACE

ART IS ONE OF THE MEANS BY WHICH MEN COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER AND OBJECTIVISE THE DEEPEST CONTACT OF THEIR PERSONALITY WITH NATURE. THIS EXPRESSION IS NECESSARILY RELATED TO THE NEEDS OF THE CIVILISATION OF THE TIME. IT HAS ITS CONVENTIONS AS HAS ANY MEANS OF EXPRESSION. ITS CONVENTIONS ARE THE LIMITATION OF THE PERSONALITY OF THE ARTIST, A LIMITATION WHICH MAN TENDS TO EXTEND, AS HE TENDS TO REMOVE ALL LIMITATIONS TO HIS PERCEPTION. JUST AS THE SIMPLE AND DIRECT PERCEPTION OF THE OUTSIDE WORLD DOES NOT SATISFY US ANY LONGER, AND WE TRY TO GO DEEPER INTO THE ESSENCE AND QUALITY OF THIS SIMPLE PERCEPTION, SO HAVE OUR FEELINGS TOWARDS NATURE BECOME MORE COMPLI-CATED, AND SIMILARLY THE EXPRESSION OF THESE FEELINGS.

THE OBJECTIVE REPRESENTATION OF NATURE THROUGH WHICH THE PAINTER USED TO EXPRESS THE MYSTERIOUS FEELINGS OF HIS EGO IN FRONT OF HIS SUBJECT "MOTIVE" NO LONGER SUFFICE FOR THE FULNESS OF HIS NEW CONSCIOUSNESS OF NATURE. THIS REPRESENTATION BEARS NO LONGER A RELATIONSHIP TO HIS NEW CONCEPTION OF LIFE, AND HAS BECOME NOT ONLY A LIMITATION BUT A DEFORMATION. "THE OBJECTIVE REPRESENTATION OF NATURE IS A DEFORMATION OF OUR PRESENT CONCEPTION OF NATURE."

REALITY IMPOSES ITSELF UPON US NOT ONLY UNDER A SPECIAL FORM BUT EVEN MORE UNDER A QUALITATIVE FORM.

FOR EXAMPLE: WHEN WE LOOK AT A TREE WE ARE CONSCIOUS NOT ONLY OF ITS OUTSIDE APPEARANCE BUT ALSO OF SOME OF ITS PROPERTIES, ITS QUALITIES, AND ITS EVOLUTION. OUR FEELINGS BEFORE THIS TREE ARE THE RESULT OF THIS KNOWLEDGE ACQUIRED BY EXPERIENCE THROUGH ANALYSIS; HENCE THE COMPLEXITY OF THIS FEELING CANNOT BE EXPRESSED SIMPLY BY OBJECTIVE AND MECHANICAL REPRESENTATION.

THE QUALITATIVE CONCEPTION OF REALITY CAN NO LONGER BE EXPRESSED IN A PURELY VISUAL OR OPTICAL MANNER; AND IN CONSEQUENCE PICTORIAL EXPRESSION HAS HAD TO ELIMINATE MORE AND MORE OBJECTIVE FORMULAE FROM ITS CONVENTION IN ORDER TO RELATE ITSELF TO THE QUALITATIVE CONCEPTION.

THE RESULTING MANIFESTATIONS OF THIS STATE OF MIND WHICH IS MORE AND MORE APPROACHING ABSTRACTION, CAN THEMSELVES NOT BE ANYTHING BUT ABSTRACTION. THEY SEPARATE THEMSELVES FROM THE SENSORIAL PLEAS-

URE WHICH MAN MAY DERIVE FROM MAN OR NATURE (IMPRESSIONISM) TO ENTER THE DOMAIN OF THE PURE JOY OF THE IDEA AND CONSCIOUSNESS.

BUT EXPRESSION MEANS OBJECTIVITY OTHERWISE CONTACT BETWEEN BEINGS WOULD BECOME IMPOSSIBLE, LANGUAGE WOULD LOSE ALL MEANING. THIS NEW EXPRESSION IN PAINTING IS "THE OBJECTIVITY OF A SUBJECTIVITY." WE CAN MAKE OURSELVES BETTER UNDERSTOOD BY COMPARING IT TO MUSIC.

IF WE GRASP WITHOUT DIFFICULTY THE MEANING AND THE LOGIC OF A MUSICAL WORK IT IS BECAUSE THIS WORK IS BASED ON THE LAWS OF HARMONY AND COMPOSITION OF WHICH WE HAVE EITHER THE ACQUIRED KNOWLEDGE OR THE INHERITED KNOWLEDGE. THESE LAWS ARE THE OBJECTIVITY OF PAINTING UP TO THE PRESENT TIME. THE NEW FORM OF PAINTING PUZZLES THE PUBLIC ONLY BECAUSE IT DOES NOT FIND IN IT THE OLD OBJECTIVITY AND DOES NOT YET GRASP THE NEW OBJECTIVITY. THE LAWS OF THIS NEW CONVENTION HAVE AS YET BEEN HARDLY FORMULATED BUT THEY WILL BECOME GRADUALLY MORE DEFINED JUST AS MUSICAL LAWS HAVE BECOME MORE DEFINED AND THEY WILL VERY RAPIDLY BECOME AS UNDERSTANDABLE AS WERE THE OBJECTIVE REPRESENTATION OF NATURE. THEREFORE, IN MY PAINTINGS THE PUBLIC IS NOT TO LOOK FOR A "PHOTOGRAPHIC" RECOLLECTION OF A VISUAL IMPRESSION OR A SENSATION, BUT TO LOOK AT THEM AS BUT AN ATTEMPT TO EXPRESS THE PUREST PART OF THE ABSTRACT REALITY OF FORM AND COLOR IN ITSELF.

NEW YORK, MARCH, 1913.

FRANÇOIS PICABIA.

EXTRACT FROM PLATO'S DIALOGUES—PHILEBUS*.

SOCRATES: WHAT I AM SAYING IS NOT, INDEED, DIRECTLY OBVIOUS. I MUST THEREFORE TRY TO MAKE IT CLEAR. FOR I WILL ENDEAVOR TO SPEAK OF THE BEAUTY OF FIGURES, NOT AS THE MAJORITY OF PERSONS UNDERSTAND THEM SUCH AS THOSE OF ANIMALS, AND SOME PAINTINGS TO THE LIFE; BUT AS REASON SAYS, I ALLUDE TO SOMETHING STRAIGHT AND ROUND, AND THE FIGURES FORMED FROM THEM BY THE TURNER'S LATHE, BOTH SUPERFICIAL AND SOLID AND THOSE BY THE PLUMB-LINE AND THE ANGLE-RULE, IF YOU UNDERSTAND ME. FOR THESE, I SAY, ARE NOT BEAUTIFUL FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AS OTHER THINGS ARE; BUT ARE BY NATURE EVER BEAUTIFUL BY THEMSELVES, AND POSSESS CERTAIN PECULIAR PLEASURES, NOT AT ALL SIMILAR TO THOSE FROM SCRATCHING; AND COLORS POSSESSING THIS CHARACTER ARE BEAUTIFUL AND HAVE SIMILAR PLEASURES.

*PUBLISHED IN CAMERA WORK, NO. 36.