MELVIN M. TUMIN
533
criti c want s to do
IS
to reli cve p a intings from contempora ry m urk ,
from th e accumul a tion o f beli efs th a t h ave descended upo n it, a nd
whi ch no a rti st meant
to
be pa rt o f hi s crea ti o n . T hi s is a very
curi o u s sta te o f a ffa irs in contempo rary a rt . We h ave pa int ers th a t
h avc been so overva lu ed th a t it is imposs ibl e to see tha t th eir wo rks
arc fund amenta ll y ridi cul o us, o r vacuo us. We a lso haw' a grea t m an y
peopl e who arc ig nored becau se th e overcva lua ti on o f o th er pa int ers
is a lways accompani ed by th e undereva lua ti o n o f people no t li ke
th em . So wh a t wc h ave to do in thi s sen se is to (Tea te a new ba la nce.
T umin:
Yo u sa id th a t somc pa intcrs and pa intings <I1e o b\'ious ly
ridi cul o us. Wh a t ma kes you say tha t o f a pa inter.
all Y painter?
H osf'llberg:
It 's ri d icul o u s rel a tive to th e va lue th a t's been p laced upo n
it by criti cism, by acceptan ce.
T limill:
But suppose from th e beginnin g yo u W("1e willin g to say.
"Thi s is a ridi cul o u s p a intin g." with o ut th("l"(' h;l\'in g becn
a
pn'\'io us assessment o f it. WOldd you be willin g to say such
a
thin g?
H osell berg:
I wo ul d n ' t fee l it n ecessa ry to say it. beca use ridi cul o us
p a intings no rma ll y tendLO sink o ut o f sig ht. But th ere arc occas io n s
wh en th ey do n ' t, whcn th ey do n ' t fo ll ow th e laws o f n a ture, but
ra th er th e laws o f p romo ti o n , and th erefore th ey sun'in' with g rea t
hono rs int o th e p resent. a t whi ch po int an occas io n ar is('s \I'hen it 's
n ccessa ry to d iscl ose th eir genuin e va lue o r lac k o f it.
TlIIni "11:
Let's pursu c th a t fo r a minute. Suppose now
a
mu sculll
decides
to
ha ng a p a inting whi ch you find , fo r
a
vari cty o f reaso ns.
outrageou s on th eir p a rt because in your es tima ti o n the p a inting is
rca ll ya ridi cul o u s wor k. And let 's imag in e you 're writin g a nd tryin g
to tt'll th e museum and o th ers wh y you think it 's a ricli cul o u s wor k.
What are some o f th e kinds o f thin gs th a t mi ght ma ke you say it 's
ridi cul o u s o r th a t it 's no t worth y to have been hun g)
H osenberg:
I think yo u could get a fa irl y good \'iew o f th a t by go in g
th ro u gh a ll the pi cces I've written .
T Ul71in:
I
sta rt ed out by say in g you 've written an eno rmou s amo unt ,
a nd so
\ \"(,' 11
probabl y be rctreadin g o ld ground . but I'd likc to get it.
if we can, o n th e reco rd. Yo u ' re quite ri ght in say in g , " Look, yo u
\I'ant to kn ow wha t I think a bo ut a rt work , I\-e \lTitt CIl severa l
tho u sand pages. Read th e things a nd yo u 'll scc.·'
l\ osenberg:
Esp ecia ll y sin ce you ' re rea ll y as kin g
for
a li st
of
th c kinds
o f deroga ti o n whi ch I' ve resorted to o n pa rti cul ar occas io n s.
TUln in:
O r
pra lsc.
l\ osf'lI/)erg:
No, now we' re ta lkin g a bo ut bad
an
th at' s becn O\'en 'a l–
u ed .
Tumin:
BUI we could just as well be ta lkin g a bout good
an
th a t' s been
