Letter to Wolf from Phillip B. Klingler, May 1993

 Wolf-

I've divided your letter into three sections- an attempt to interpret each of the three and to find correlations...

The first section making reference to "modern" art, pertaining to Expressionism, Art Brut, or even moreso the COBRA GROUP- who began in 1948 with the manifesto: "The esthetic principle must be abolished. We are not disillusioned because we have no illusions. We do not even know the laws of esthetics and the old idea of choice according the principle of beautiful and ugly... is dead for us, us for whom beautiful is also ugly, for whom everything that is ugly also has beauty in it..." Even my sound work, which is often referred to as "noise music", has precedents in the Futurist movement, as Luigi Russolo wrote "The Art Of Noises" in 1916. (a nearly scientific treatise and categorization of 'types' of noises and their musical applications).

(Wolf writes in margins: "Esthetics: no laws, only agreements. Esthetics is of little concern to the historians, priests, bankers, police, dictators. Ethics must be considered as a priority over profit, docility, hero worship, manner, creed. Ethics makes for the stronger bond after mother-father love for child. woman - man / friends - are subject to ethics)

Here you've written a strong statement: "to become aware that this is not 'art' but life and that if he goes further there is the end?" But you finish it with a question mark because 1. can we go any further? and 2 if we can go further what does await? (only an ending?)

There is an evolution happening for those who choose to follow that path, a path that is obviously very personal and can only be charted (uniquely) by the individual. We know that fighting disease with antibiotics evolves the virus, improves it's ability over time to defeat the antibiotic, so a difficult path is not without it's casualties. But most are not brave enough to choose anything that presents obstacles- and the path of least resistance saves energy but doesn't promote change. In seeing clearly, we must accept the fact that art cannot cause social revolution- any aesthetic breakthrough is (probably) only relevant to the individual.

Jackson Pollock pushed painting to the brink, but not the end and, really, a new beginning (even when there are those who push the ideas that we could not go further). So, you're correct in saying that there is still much to be seen. Section 2 of your letter explains the reason for art having the need to push the "victim" to the brink, because his indoctrination will not allow him to see. Plato's cave...

Evolution takes place on a small scale, the triumph is a personal one! Just because Pollock's (or Van Gogh's) works now sell for millions doesn't mean that the buyer, or public, understand them any better. The ones who assign dollar value to art are keeping us caught in a quagmire. If they can diminish or eliminate wholly the importance of personal (r)evolution, they will use many cunning tricks to do so. With art, it is the joke of playing money games with it. With Jesus it is religious tomfoolery. With most of the others, Krishnamurti, Bertrand Russell, the passage of time and obscurity. (after awhile it is impossible to find them, they've been essentially wiped out of history for the majority of people)

In the third section of your letter is the resolution of ugliness into beauty. Because we can see the reason and necessity in the approach- that the motivation is out of love. Will the majority understand and see it? Will they have the strength and conviction to strip away the mystification, the silliness, the irrelevances? 

Even within my own self, where I feel all the same events (or non-events) that happen to everyone else, mine is a guarded sleep, abrupt awakenings, fighting against laziness. Remember you told me once that your reason for teaching had something to do with "dialogue"- a feeling or a wish to communicate. What a disappointment to have the student turn a blind eye, but what a thrill to find the few who can learn, share and reflect back on the light you've given!

And those are things I learned from you, those are things I share with you. I have found my "few" just as you have found yours. I'm glad to have been your student and friend my dear Wolf...

Sculptures (busts) 1993

on reverse:

 

Bohr at the height of his creativity breakthrough in his twenties. do you know Niels Bohr? 1885-1962 perhaps the foremost brain scientist, philosopher, family man, helper to many people to come into their own.

Book = Niels Bohr by Abraham Pais (splendid)

Book = Niels Bohr by Ruth Moore (splendid)

 -written so that you and I can understand-

Niels Bohr: Nuclear physicist / complementarity / Quantum phsyics.

in your tongue = [light years ahead or beyond relativity]

"Einstein study" 1993 

 

I just stood at the window taking in the sight

 28 June 1988

Dear Phillip, 

How are you? -very busy and enjoying life with your family?

Here the battle is a familiar one = (1) no rain for months, (2) the ground is dry to 3 feet deep, (3) all the main ingredients for a water tank are here yet the lifting and welding depends on a neighbor (we are all doing more than we have time for)

The joy of today are various thunderstorms! 3/4" of rain so far. for an hour I just stood at the window taking in the sight. 

-the first rain in 2 1/2 months.

-a month ago I began modeling in wax, figures, gestures, (man) human beings and snakes. How to co-exist? (not only with snakes)

-just now the water pump is running again. the power was out (thunderstorms). Now I can heat the wax - back to work; a work of love.

always thinking of you

Wolf

Do you know how the great greek thinker, Heraclitus (500 BC) died? at 60 he crawled into cow manure, a big steaming pile, therein he died at age 60.

We advanced somewhat in taking care of one another!

We seem to be paralyzed in grasping everything at once

4 July 1986

Woodlot

Dear Phillip:

Once more, I like to thank you for your sharing thoughts and feelings, letter May 8, the death of Krishnamurti in February, the bulletin, a copy of which you sent. This in turn I gave to various students, friends as Bill Fleming (studio courses, 1970-72).

You are saying that you are moved, not so much by the words but by the acknowledgement of the truth (fact) the reality Being (Heidegger) of life itself. hold it right there. try to find with me together an expression which describes your feelings, thoughts, inner constellation without the adding: it self. life! yes! that I share with you and Krishnamurti before his death. It is his saying that we shall live wholly as one. when we say: life itself we begin to separate life and us from it. but that is exactly the miracle - which in some sense is not a miracle but the truth or fact or being or whatever is is called that we are

everything under the sun

the sun included

i.e. nothing excluded

nothing: not a thing or thought or feeling or or or excluded [this is the most difficult to live]

we just seem to be paralyzed in grasping everything at once. all our education: pinpointing (as in one and one is two)

a friend and student, Hannah Hultgreen, was taught by her mother how to count. Mother: "Hannah, you do have two apples here, give one apple to Danny" (also 4 years old). Hannah did so. Now her mother asked: "Hannah, how many apples do you have now?" and Hannah promptly replied: "two." Mother exasperates not. "Let Danny eat the apple". Hannah agreed and all sort of waited while Danny ate the apple. Mother: "how many apples do you have now? Hannah!" Hannah: "Two: one in my hands and one in Danny's tummy." Mother: But Hannah, you gave this apple away as a gift to Danny." Hannah: "Yes, mom, so I gave it to him, I would give him all of my toys, I like him so much." pause "But the apple is mine, you said so yourself - it is my apple I gave it to him..."

Over 20 years later the lady, Hannah, still remembers her feelings = sure, it is my apple - and Danny ate the apple - but I (Hannah) wanted him to have al I could give him, so this apple [and in it my love for him] it is still my apple that made him relish the meal of an apple.  Hannah: "I lost nothing but I gained his expression of joy!" So much for our accounting system...

My best thoughts are with you Phillip, 

Love, Wolfram

Below is a scan of Wolf's plan for building a root cellar included with this letter:

A short list of books I am reading

Oct 22, 1985

I will share with you a short list of books I am reading:

Inside The Brain by William Calvin, PH. D./George Ojemann M.D. (Mentor book 80-81134 ISBN $4.50)

Understanding Physics: Light, Magnetism, Electricity by Issac Asimov (Mentor book 451-ME 2121 $2.75)

Understanding Physics: Motion, Sound, Heat by Issac Asimov (Mentor book 451-ME 2365 $4.50)

Particles (An Introduction to Particle Physics) by Michael Chester (Mentor book 451-ME 1899 $2.50)

Understanding Physics: The Electron, Proton and Neutron by Issac Asimov (Mentor book 451-ME 2402 $4.50)

The Brain by Richard M Restak M.D. (Warren Books 0-446 32282-2 $4.50)

We all do push to begin to work, this is normal, we have to overcome one momentum with another one

21 Oct 1985

saturated reds and yellow radiate in the evening sun's shine over and through the trees = autumn. and deep, blue sky.

Dear Phillip,

Your letter brought joy. Your thoughts are open and healthy. Often I admire you insight into human actions. Since action is so thoroughly interrelated to feeling and thought (therefore) it does not matter where we search (dig) or study; we can paint a house, a billboard, a painting- soon we come to similar thoughts, similar feelings, similar advance in wisdom.

what does matter, profoundly so, is out attitude, our longing - as our longing is synchronized or peripheral or opposed to what we are doing. 

when our doing is neutral, then our longing can continue to unfold.

when our doing is contrary to our longing, we are soon frustrated - the longing will obtain two stages - one of which we fall into, the other we lose it or we become fanatic in holding on and become neurotic about it.

Once more, the poorest person can be of highest dignity. what we can observe is = when we rush - we lose all or at least much of this state. [dignity = insight, clarity, responsiveness = feeling, recall and foresight] And from your letter I can see that you are aware of all of this. You are saying what I think, your way, I'm saying what you think my way. So we are at ease and at home. 

The disappointment at the art competition (art competition = is that not a contradiction in terms?) So many times I went through this - as you. In part, I was spoiled because between 1952 and 1972 I made just about all and any show I applied for - then came the great surprise - I wanted some of my portraits accepted! --No way--! And who can judge it better what matters, and what does not, but the maker?

Phillip - let us remind one another, at times, that our social structure is such that we need arts- period. Arts - nothing else. the face, the human face is a power house, an enigma so powerful that this society with this structure of Art-need cannot bear the sight of an individual, unless a membership is emblazed upon the face which makes it a machine part.

Again I say, do what you do to earn your place to sleep and food. Let us not try to confirm, convince, change or inform others. Not yet. two good reasons 1. the lot (or bunch or the many) are not ready to give up their dope or drug or addictive whatever. 2. the very few, who are acting in accord to natural dispositions are all in a most gentle way (inductively, indirectly) just doing this, which we are all advancing to - insight, little by little - very slowly - time means nothing to the natural event. actually time does mean something to the natural event as the 9 months of pregnancy versus 6 months or 12 months, still it is the time it takes which we are often not willing to wait for. we push, we rush - and we lose our senses.

Therefore I will retire as soon as possible. (this "as possible" is not more of the old rush, but patiently waiting for the moment when I can retire with a little bit more than just my shirt). I heard that by December a package is ready. Soon I have an interview with our president = it is he who can advance or stop such action.

For all the years I said = let us save during this time that we have no money: it will be the only time when saving is possible, let's save some for retirement. Now that I intend to retire I realize how the pennies then would mean dollars now. But now no saving will help much. I need a studio, foundry...

But 29 years ago the pennies would bring a difference. Still, I feel good about stepping aside and begin 100% effort on sculpting. Not for show, exhibit... but friends.

You are describing the death, illness of your father. Again I admire you acumen, your perceptive ability, your insight. Again - no confrontation will help, nothing will help but our own action (doing), affording, bringing out our own careful work, honestly felt, the kinks worked out. That is slow, but that is development. the only one worth to have - around the globe!

Spring 1985 - Yes - what a great thought you are evoking by asking if I will be at our woodlot. Yes, of course, this is quite vital to me, the sculptor. Welcome, help building a studio. thereafter, welcome and use the studio! [It is 12:35 the next day - another art class History Of Western Art Forms. teaching is, in general, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. drawing and psychological aspect at night] I am already out the door and beginning my lecture haha! It is demanding - taking it seriously. So is everything. Your job the same way. therefore remain at ease with yourself. paint - but do not push. you are by now clearly distinguishing between pushing yourself to work from pushing the work. We all do push to begin to work, this is normal, we have to overcome one momentum with another one.

-in admiration for your working as a painter. more tomorrow. 

Love, Wolfram

There are people who think without words

30 September 1988

Woodlot

-we sometimes think in words.

-at those times we depend on words to sense the sense they make.

-then there are people (thinkers, poets, artists, housewives, children) who think without words.

-paintings, forms, instrumental tone, the unthought tone of voice, brought about without the help of language are, more often than not, the clearer, deeper (more eloquent) expressions of our being as it is in a total world (which we have assimilated).

(to this world we intend to live intelligently Latin: inter = Engl: between; Latin: legere = to gather, to choose)

we are disturbed (quite early in a lifetime) by a society with a fixed set of codes (of conduct, response, work station, school expectation, religious expectations)

-in my letter to you of May 5, 1986 I related to you how Thomas Cappuccio and I were quite unable to bring about verbal responses to your paintings as represented by photos (which you had sent to us). And that by means of careful exchange of many words a few hints to the propensity of your work (paintings) emerged (as in: Blue Contained)

perhaps (I am not uncertain when I write perhaps) we have to paint (we, all of humankind) and paint and paint, little or much or none at all, for a while.

When you talk to your wife - free of "words", when you hug your child in that way - that is painting at it's foremost. That is living at it's highest. (If we could only trust that most personal experiencing)

The greatest thinkers, artists, poets are those who do sense, as you do and begin to realize the uniqueness as well as the universality of this taking place within and about them.

And in so living (i.e. painting) we "give" color, pattern, form, touch, exchange of  nods of the head, or looks of the eyes, or a gentle holding of the hand, an ever so faint greeting...

when we, as we do so (and we do so!), we begin to stand on the foundations of humanity - human being - being.

Once we are aware of it, we will feel an inexorable, unstoppable vigor, a strength to convey this awareness. To help others to experience life, to live life out of this magnificence, this ease, as Krishnamurti writes: "the beauty of all of it."

The counterpoint to this deep insight experience is the "follower", the one who wanted to be told what to think, how to think, where to think.

personal experience, self reliance - (an ordinary school experienced individual is void of such capacity... has been decapitated). this is our way of domesticating animals like cows and horses and rabbits. the world population becomes rapidly such, or is such since thousands of years? (you can read this sentence also without the question marks)

The dialogue, the exchange and the questions we have from deep within us - they are timeless, and are our treasures. In exchanging: we strengthen, widen, live.

for over three months most of my activity was to bring water from the pond (our own) to the trees, which stood in soil that was powder dry to a depth of four feet. thousands of tree (seedlings and up to 3 feet) dimply died. I could not bring water to 17000 trees, yet I drove with the tractor and 500 gallons water wagon day in day out, walking in the hillsides with 5 gallon pails and 1 1/2 thick hoses. Some - those who received their water rations regularly, even thrived, since the sunshine was during those days: continuous. Last week we had 4, later 2 inches of rain. now this week i became a bit more human in that I have "time". time to do else but run for water, time to visit, time to read, time to feel, time to think and time to write, time to say hello!

Today, a long-time acquaintance accorded a bust commission. As soon as my left ring finger can flex again (got squashed against a log splitter) I will begin modeling. A fine man - with a concern for the well-being of all with whom he comes in contact.

We had our first frost. Since I have a woodstove, wood is needed. The forest is full of "fire wood". Now: getting it.

The shelves (storage) are full of plaster molds to be transferred into plaster casts (well over 30)

two bronze casts completed, 6 small modelings in wax, ready for casting - when?

slowly, ever so slowly a begin.

And yet, I feel fulfilled. 

with love, 

Your Wolf