560
PARTISAN REVIEW
painting today is probabl y as good as it's ever been in tha t there's
much mo re freedom and individualism than ever before, however
much there is pressu re toward conformity.
R osenberg:
Now wa it a minute. I didn 't say tha t was a virtue. I said
that's our predicament.
T umin:
A predi cament, but also a virtue because you think arti sts
ought to be free to paint.
R osenberg:
No, I don 't think they
ought
to be free to paint. I think
they have to be, not tha t they ought to be. They can 't p aint if they're
no t free.
T um in:
Well, then they have
~o
be free to paint, whi ch is ano ther way
of saying they ought to be free. So they h ave
to
be free to pa int and
they are more free than they've ever been before.
R osenberg:
I don 't know if they're more free than ever before. Let's say,
more people have access
to
art. You raised the ques tion that maybe
it'd be better if a lo t of them sLOpped do ing it.
T umin:
Mo re h ave access to art. More have access to the resources
requi red to engage in art. There a re more museums and ga ll eries
than ever before. T here is more o f a public than ever before. T hey're
more free to decide wha t to p aint about.
R osenberg:
Everything is hunky-dory, except ...
Tumin:
Except wh a t?
R osen berg:
Except no body has good ideas.
