Most mornings I wake up when
my radio turns itself on. This
morning the first news I heard was that Art historian and critic Robert Hughes
had died.
 |
| Robert Hughes |
I guess writers on Art are a
bit like music journalists really, - often educative but essentially parasitic
and sometimes just plain destructive.
Occasionally though, a few get beyond mere egotism and manage to address
the subject with insight and real relish and Hughes was one of those. He was highly literate but never pompous and possessed a direct, (and typically Australian), no-nonsense
approach. In later life, arguably, he grew a bit macho and reactionary in his opinions, but throughout his career he proved it’s possible to express genuine intelligence in straightforward and non-patronising terms.
I have several of his titles on my bookshelves but, surely, he’ll be best
remembered for the BBC T.V. series ‘The Shock of the New - Art & The Century Of Change’. It was shown in 1980 just prior to the start of my Art Foundation Course and definitely contributed to my education.
Hughes was an effective television communicator and presented a
comprehensive account of Modernism by separating out the major themes that run
through it. I still treasure my
hardback copy of the accompanying book. [1.]
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| Richard Diebenkorn, 'Ocean Park No. 66', Oil on Canvas, 1973 |
Amongst all the usual
suspects in his survey, Hughes included a reproduction of one of Richard
Diebenkorn’s beautiful ‘Ocean Park’
paintings. It made a massive
impression on me at the time and triggered my abiding love of Diebenkorn’s
work. If not a household name,
he’s a real ‘painter’s painter’ and I owe Hughes a debt of gratitude for
bringing him to my attention at an important moment.
[1.]: Robert Hughes, 'The Shock Of The New - Art & The Century Of Change', London, BBC Books, 1980
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