News Scrapbook 1969-1971

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THE SAN DIEGO UNION

'CANYON OF THE HONDO, NEW MEXICO, 1930,' a watercolor, 153/ax201/4, exhibits an arid, monumental quiet.

'PEACH TREES IN BLOSSOM, SADDLE RIVER, NEW JERSEY, 1952,' a water- color, I 41/ax20 inches, catches the mood of fragile spring.

'GIRL 1910,' a watercolor, 18 ½x 15 ¼ inches, reflects French Modernism. SEWING, PARIS,

Marin In Retrospect: His ViewOfAn InanimateWorld By THERESE alike. Above all. he adhered lo TRUITT HANAFIN the basic logic of the universe Chairman, Art Deportment and the relation between those elements. University Of Son Diego Don't attend the retro- as it intuitively respondt!d to the pulsating energy beneath the physical world. American in his frank love of a fight, Marin reveled in this clash of forces under the control of his "blessed equilibrium.'' cities and the dynamic inter- play of elements on the Maine coast. Apart from the Ash Can ity of patterns into a variety of urban moods. Sea" 1934), and use of black for light ("Boat and Sea", 1927) and the decorative Faur- ist surface ("Girl Sewing, spring tints of "Trees, Wes! Point, Maine" to fhe earthy vibrance of "Landscape Ab- stracted." Marin's painting process sponses to world order. His fracturing of traditional ca- nons reflect the early 20th

"Municipal Building" is glit- tering, jubilant. One succumbs to the vertigo of "Woolworth Building (The Dance)." In a rare figurative statement of the urban scene, Marin por- trayed leaden "Figures in a Waiting Room" with an isola- tion that recalls the city loneli- ness of Daumier's "Second Class Coach.'' A protege of Alfred Stieglitz, Marin also echoed that photo- grapher-patron's egalitarian philosophy. Therefore, his range was extended to such violently romantic depictions of the rural scene as "Fulton Chain Adirondacks." As a young artist, Marin chaffed under the tradition of literal representation. Hfs pre- ~cupation with "what goes on m the world" fostered his ear- ly use of architonic structure and abstract color in the 1888 to 1905 Weehawken series. The independence of his line and form increased until they achieved the separale identi- ties of "Circus" (1953). Charles Demuth said of Ma- rin, "He brought up his ' F'rench Modernism' in buck- ets and spilt much along the way.'' However, Marin did re- tain Cezanne's spare water- color style and use of bare canvas. He tried Dufy's fig. ures ("Women, Farms and

Century upheavels in econom- ics, philosophy, and econom- ics. That era might be illus- trated by "St. Paul's Against the El" despite his warning, '·Don't everlastingly read messages into paintings." Decades before the New York School, Marin's ex- plosive gestures anticipated Abstract Expressionism. His was a typically American al- ternate to Cubisim within the avante garde frame. Later, he echoed Adolph Gottlieb's sym- bolic equivilants f "Cape Split Sea" 1945) and Jackson Pol- lack's antihieretical com- position ("Jersey Hills" 1949). Primarlly, ,John Marin in- itiated an affirmative response to the reality of the world and the senses. Within a new con• crpl of dc~ign /le turned Amet- ica fro111 her Pu.-itanical pro- hibition; toward a frank enjoy- ment of lhe q!J81i/i" of things. To view those qualities through a master in a mean- ingfully hung show is an ex- hilerating experience. ----

School's humanistic concern, the city had not been treated per se when Marin began his expressive reaction to the new landscape of power. Those energies expressed in his hun- dreds of views of Manhattan had only the precedent of Ital- ian Futurism. The tempo and the crushing aggression of crowds and structural forces were conve~ed by violently contorted axis and a multiplic-

Therefore, unlike his Cubist contemporaries, he was inter- ested in capturing atmos- pheric effects: air, wind, sun rays. Marin stated these with typical economy and force in the small etching "Sailboat." He also conveyed lhe quality of diverse and specific locales. The arid. monumental quiet of "Canyon of the Hondo, New Mexico" contrasts with the slacatto jostling of '·Street Movement, Abstraction.'' The repose and propriety of '·Mac- hias Maine" demonstrates how his technique and treat- ment were shaped by content. Similarly, he was concerned with the moods of nature. "Deer Isle, Maine, November No. 23" is ominous and dra- matic compared to the in- vigorating sweep of ·'Schooner and Sea, Maine." Seasonal qualities. too. range between the ic~ thrusts of "Edgewater, rw Jersey·• and the fragile spring of "Peach Trees in Blos- som. Saddle River, New Jer- sey.'' Compositionally, design ele- ments were pitted in a dynam- ic justaposilion of forces . Vis- ual reality was shattered in or- der to assert human emotion

Paris 1910"). Marin's typical fracturing of space owes much to Cubist fragmentation. How- ever, he used it intuitively as an expression of the 20th Cen- tury world. A comparison of Marin's wa- ter color landscapes with the Oriental tradition is unavoi- dable. His post-Austrian con- cern for atmosphere (see "Kufstein" 1910) coincides wilh increased deletions of de- tails and a marked economy of style in his letters to Stieglitz. Beyond the Zen-like caligra- phy of his strokes, he also em- ployed Oriental inverse per- spective, and that elassic in- terplay of water and rocks. The exploding dynamics of Marin's design are always controlled by an architectural structure which in itself re- flects early 20th Century ur- banity. His use of thrusts with- in a vignette were an early ct,arac!eristic ( "London-Atlan- r Series,'' 1905). They grew I a commanding vortex as his oeuvre progressed, ("Related to the Sea" 1944). Use of the vignette also underscores his aim of momentary impact in- dicated by such titles as "Re- lated to the Hurricane.''

could be likened to a small scale happening. His ambi- dextrous attack on the surface employed brush, rag, stick and either hand. The resultant expressive surface of ,"Small Point, Maine" explains his status as a master of the ex- pressive surface. The rich tac- tile sense was apparent early and gathered momentum to- ward "Trunk Mountain, Maine." The aim of his oils was "to give paint a chance to show it- self entirely as paint." How- ever, these sensually enjoy- able surfaces do not convey the specific essences of their subjects as versatilely as his water colors, except in the brutal energy of ''Weehawken Grain Elevators.'' As his tech- nique advanced into the 50s so did the tension conveyed by a coupling of bare canvas and thick empasto. Considered historically, Ma- rin's expressionism was also based on his seismographic re-

spective centennial at the Fine Arts Gallery if you're easily placated with a surface repre- sentation of the material world. You won't find it there. Instead there exists a slimu- Jatingly mounted exhibition of the interior qualities of the in- animate world and their inter- actions. The work is by John Marin (1870-1953), America's pioneer Expressionist. It will pe on view through Jan. 30. A retrospective has never ~een more rewarding. Not de- velopmentally, for Marin's highly individual interpreta- tions crystalized early. It is in the juxlapasition of those wild- ly ranging interpretations that one is given an exhilerating view of the qualities of things. During a prolific career, Marin mastered a shorthand of gestured line and shapes which immedia l tablished the specific essence of his sub- jects. With near pantheistic expressionism he recorded the identity and vitality of the in- animate. the inner forces and warring of build- ings and natural elements He re$ponded to

Marin was also American in his ties to the object, accept- ing the means but never the aims of European modernism. The urban-rural duality of his subject matter was as Ameri- can as the verve with which they were expressed. His range extended between the jostling of early 20th Century

'KUFSTEIN, AUSTRIAN TYROL, 1910,' o water- color, 15 ½xi 8 inches, hos economy of style.

Color, too, shows a ro!al per- ception of each subject. His range extended from the silver

TEUFiSDAY, DECEMBER ID, 1970 J;.. c....J 12 courses scl1eduled al USO intersession The University of San 1portant Historic Mexican sei:&id intersess1on landimairk which includes an wID7ie held Jan. 4 - 23. For Indian village, a ranch and re~lar students this is the a stage coach station. period between semesters. Th h . e ot er courses and m- A total of 12 courses is structors are: Subma- some at upper division and rine Archaeology, Moriarty. gr a rl u a t e levels. These English _ Frontier in courses meet four or five American Literature. Irving days a week for the session. w. Parker; Literature and Historic Site Method is a Drugs, Dr. Richad J. Coan- one - unit course, meeting d-a. Saturdays from 8 a.m. t.o · ory _ The Historian as noon. Dr. Raymond · Detecllve, Dr. Brandes; His- B,randes and James R. Mo- t f s b · Ar riarty III direct the course. 0 1J'. 0 . u i;narme cheo- This course in archaeolo- 1 • Jl:ionart) · gical field work will be Mu~1c. - The Romance of Rancho Los Coches, an im- th ':iohn, Dr. Henry Kolar. Philoso,phy - Contempo- offered, all but one carrying three units of credit with Anthropology -

SPECIAL COMMISSION 12. J .?o La Jolla Civic Orchestra Gives Work Fine Debut By DONALD DIERKS Music Critic The San Diego Union ages fro/° time to time of ond movement. slightly too enriched harmo-

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Top Average On Bar Exam - _,, ,. . . ·;.

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S-AN DIEGO Sap Diego Sch ofiw. graduates takmg the law exam for the first time passed the bar exam at a record rate, the State Bar Examiners announced last week. Si~ty per cent of USD law graduates passed the bar exam' on their first try at the exams given in August. The state average is only 52.6 per cent for success the first time. ' For the USD School of Law this has also been a record enrollment year. The present 715 students makes it the fourth largest accredited law school in the state. Only University of California at Berkeley, UCLA and Hastings Law Schools are larger. Of the 84 USD law graduates taking the test the first time, 50 passed. :¥ao/yersi~ of

USD Pianist To Open Youth Concert Series The Young People"s concert season of the San Diego Sym- phony Orchestra wtll open with performances at 9:30 a.m. and 11 :30 a.m tomorrow m the Ci\'ic Theater. Previously scheduled l: 30 p.m. concerts have bet!n can- "celled for the cntl!'e season. A highlight of tomorrow·s pro- gram will be the appearance of i\Jarsha Long. the 19-year-old pianist who won the Fourth_ An- nual Youhg Artists compet1t1011 in November. She is a sophomore at the Uni- versitv of an D;ego. ~'liss Long will p·erform as soloist with the symphony in Ravel's '"Concerto for Left Hand." Benjamin Britten's •'Young Persons' Guide to the Orches- tra" and "Music for String, Per- cussion and Celeste" by Bartok will complete the program.

Generally

speaking, however, no emo-1 tional wave ever ruffled the placid calm of Miss Hart's ex-

nies for 16th Century practice, indicated that the composer could well be a Ii ·mg

One of the first Christmas programs of the season was given last night by the La Jol- la Civic Orchestra and Chorus in Sherwood Hall. Thomas Nee conducted. The first work on the pro- gram was also a first perform- ance, and it also turned out to be the best performance of the evening. It was the Gloria for Soprano, Chorus and Orches- tra by Douglas Leedy, a young composer from Portland, Ore- gon. The Gloria was commis- sioned by the orchestra for it- self and for the occasion. and this may have accounted for its preeminence on the pro- gram. Leedy likely tailored the work especially for the ability and limited resources of a volunteer civic ensemble. In any case, the piece was not too taxing in concept, nor too di fficul · n technique. so the perfor nee standard reached

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The soprano part, hardly I more than a brief incidental solo was sung by Marilyn Rue In J. c. Bach's Concerto in c Major, Mariorie Hart was the composed early in the horn phonic era, and the style and' form have tentative qualities wardnesses. It, therefore, re- quires more than average fi- nesse in.the orchestra , and be- tween orchestra and soloist if it is to be brought off well. ' CAL!\I QUALITY Miss rt wa secure in memory and dicf her best play- j ing in some parts of the sec- I / USD NAMES SPEAKER FOR. JAN. 5 FORUM The Rev. Raymond E. Brown of St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore will speak at 3:30 p.m. Jan. 5 in More Hall at the University of San Diego. ather Brown will be the third speaker in a Clergy Forum series spansored by the San Diego Roman Catholic Diocese and Priests Senate. A professor of Scripture and editor of the Jerome Biblical Commentary, will peak on Scriptural foundations for the priesthood. Father Brown was among the 200 churchmen who attend- ed the Future of the Church meeting of theologians last September in Brussels. • cello soloist. 'ibis is a w rk that produce frequent awk T"'

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strumentalists in a joint per- formance of ~he. '·Christmas never_.tM chorus s_ ng. the .. Wh1cli 1s certai?lY not sy, took on added .,W 1 terest Johh McClellan, l~6r, sang ·as the Evanrelist, and other solo roles were taken by Marilyn Rue and Thomas Sim- S Y b 1£.emr1ch . huetz. and verve.

rary Arabian Philosophy, Dr. Joseph P. Ghougassian; The Phlosophy of Sex, Dr. John W. Swanke. Issues Now, Dr. Deward H. Reed. Psychology - Explorations Into tihe l\

mons, bass.

On Program Cellist ffiajorie Hart and three vocal soloists wfl perform with tlle La Jolla Civic Orchestra and Ci)orus at 3 aQd 8 p.m. today in Sherwood Hall. Miss Hart, a member of the faculty at the University of San Diego where she plays with the Alcala lho,""\'Ml per- form Bach's Concerto in C. The three singers on today's program are soprano Marilyn Rue, tenor John McClellan and baritone Thomas Sim- mons. The orchestra and chorus will present two compositions with the soloists un- der the baton of Thomas Nee. One, en- titled "Gloria," was commissioned by the La Jolla Civic Orchestra and Chor11s A~socialion r om Douglas Leedy, a young composer of Portiand, Ore. It will receive its premiere today. The other is "The Nativity of Christ," a musical version of the ChL1stmas sto- ry by Heinrich Schuetz. I

some agreeable levels. NEO-GOTmc IDIOM

Works by a 17th Century Czech composer, a San Diego musician a contemporary America~ and Schubert will be featured in a concert at 8:15 p.m. next Sunday in the• versity of San Diego Cammo Hall lrieaier. Henry Kolar will conduct the Chamber orchestra for the performance to include his own composition, "Memorial- is " commissioned and per- fo~med by the San Diego Sym- phony in 1958. The orches'tra also will play "Offertur" 1 for double string orchestra by Cilech<>S!Ovakian composer Pave1 j anovsky and "Psal and u e" by American coin~,wAlan Hov• haness. Concluding the program will be Schubert's Mass in 6 fea- turing the university choir with soloists Berta Long, so- prano; Michael Stephens, ten- or, and Raymond East, bass.

USO Law Graduates Set Bar Exam Mark Sixty per cent of University of Sa Diego School of Law gradu- ates taking the state bar exam- ination ,August for th first time pass , a record 7.4 the state average. The figure were re]e!lsed this ·eek by State Bar xaminers. There were 84 USD law gradu- ates taking the test for the first time and, of these, 50 passed. The law school this year has a record enrollment· of QI stu- dents, making it the fourth larg- est accredited law School in California. ['--. /"1,l1 •)o

Marjorie Hart

USD Displays Liturgical

nners

Liturgical by brary hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Margo Blair, a San Diego artist, including weekends. althou8h it are qn exhibit throughout this will .be closed Thursday, Friday m_onth a_t the Uni et§ity of Sa~ and_ next Saturday for the Diego Library, A cala '.Park. 11- Christmas holiday. s ,, I "'c9 y y Li art banners