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March 2   Extreme Abstraction Devree
January Cash Account                    326

anonimity- the anonimity of archaic Greek or Egyptian sculpture; the anonimity of medieval craftsmen by his identification with a group working on a cathedral in a common purpose; the anonimity of much Near-Eastern art in which figure & scene were excluded for stylized motifs as in rugs & pottery. But this last is essentially an art of sheer decoration; dependent
on color & stylization; static. This is the danger, the blind alley which, it seems to me, confronts much of the
non objective or [[strikethrough]] ep [[/strikethrough]] expressionist-abstract work of today. Color & color relations or the interplay of forms may help to establish a mood, but is that by itself enough?" - He has expressed my own thoughts on these problems clearly: It is all



Wed. March 2-

January Cash Account     327

a blind alley - a dead end - & as Lipchitz so aptly put it in our conversation several years ago in his studio - "One must return to nature." One must have a message - an affirmation of life, to make a truly significant statement.
  
Forgot to mention that for lunch we had Margaret Pajour and Anil de Silva-Vigier. We spent a pleasant hour & a half. I am fond of Anil & admire her mind + spirit - in short, her personality as a whole. Showed her the photos of my ptgs. - some of which she liked particularly - (The Patriarch, Sacrifice of Isaac, etc.) "Why don't you come & have an exhibit in Paris & London, Anna"? We parted - promising to send a greeting to each other from time to time. Aft.- 2.15-4.45 or 5 - Mary Caudle almost finished. Eve- quiet at home with Bob Nathan to dinner.