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Object has no attributes. Instead. Function.

 

There are no eternal values. Neither they exist in art. Thesis about eternal value of artistic object is a prejudice. Of the past. Prejudice is also an opinion about the existence of one artwork. There is no secluded and isolated artwork. Neither it has ever existed. It hasn’t been made at all. So, the assumption that it could have is not necessary. Been made. Or. That it could be. Made. Art can be understood only in the tightest social relations.

 

Only as an activity. Related activity. Never as a separate act. One “Picasso” doesn’t exist. Alone. One “Picasso” exists only in relation with others. That which presents artistic value is not the separate work but the activity itself. On its own relations.

 

Museum value is not artistic value.

 

The most crucial human relation is relation towards matter. Upon that relation history has occurred. Of a man. History is happening on the relation matter-material. History of art has occurred in the frame of same relations. On that plan it is possible to notice two phases of history of art. Instinctive art. Then Functional art. Instinctive art’s relation towards unique oil on canvas technique is not the flaw of instinctive art. It is only its historic feature. Relation towards matter has conditioned qualities of instinctive art.

 

In the first place. Matter. i.e. Material. For the same reasons functional art is conducting technical revolution.

 

Technical revolution is historically the most decisive revolution in art.

 

It is the job of historians to explain narrow choice of materials used by classical art. But it is a job of contemporary artists to widen their investigations on the widest possible list of “live” materials.

 

Functional art coming out of new relations (material, economic, social) stands before the task to investigate possibilities of form in artistic domain. Its relation towards society is positive. This quality of relation is ending historical conflict between society and art. Due to that, the quality of art is being changed, as well.

 

Functional art’s relation towards matter has caused the new quality of understanding the space. That is not an imaginary but real three-dimensional space. Relation towards qualities of matter has caused the next dimension. The fourth. Time. It is about moving in space. When compared to instinctive art, instead of apparent value of space it’s being dealt with the real value of space. This moment is causing abolition of metaphysical categories, and on the other side, introduction of methods of research, rational control of procedures that are not unrepeatable and at the end, the system of team work.

At the same moment in past when the thought that technique will destroy art was said out loud, the path for functional art was opened. If technique has helped destruction of one art Instinctive one, it helped creation of the new one. Functional.

 

Discovery of new materials has put the aesthetics of instinctive art off the agenda.

 

It is by no means correct to say that the third dimension in classical painting contains a lie because it suggests that something non-existent is existent. Space. A whole art of one historical epoch has been built upon that imaginary dimension. One can’t judge limited possibility of understanding of one historically less developed consciousness. Past remains past and relations towards past could only be sentimental. There are no others.

 

Experiences of tradition are valuable only as much as they can be overcome.

 

Functional art is not a picture of the world anymore. It doesn’t represent object. It creates it.

Functional art doesn’t recognize transcendental meaning of forms. System of forms. Where. On those specific materials which are concrete qualities of matter for it (art).

Artistic activity is based on objective information. Instead on subjective (relation between two types of art).

 

Artist doesn’t go ahead of his/her time. He/she creates his/her time. Or more precisely. He/she takes part in his/her own time. He/she is not a prophet. Nor a precursor.

 

Relation towards serial products and system of multiplied originals is pointing towards democratic character of functional art.

 

Aesthetics of instinctive art is unusable for functional art. Fake art is recognized by the fact that it has been built on its own relations. Language of functional art is universal. There is no local or regional art.

 

Huge quantity and objective quality of information are factors which for the first time in history are allowing us to take part in development of something that is by no means experiment, in a quite experimental way.

 

New Tendency no.3,

Gallery of contemporary art, Zagreb, 1965.