We all are imitators of inventions.
More humbleness, because inventors here are only the natives

There are some pedantic aesthetes from the South Zone of São Paulo who cannot stand artists blowing the dust off of innovations from the past, presenting them as the newness of the present. Like Aristarchus, [these aesthetes] have read on prospectus of A class apartments for sale that today such environments must be customized: following this fashion trend, they want producers of paintings, architecture and sculptures not to present any similarity to classic or modern artists.
[…]
Some days ago, the aesthetes from the South Zone then got together for an assembly to evaluate one of the most recent cases of imitation, discovered in one from 112 art galleries of the national Athens [the city of Sao Paulo]: the brave drawer Gretta put a self-psycho-photo on the catalogue of her exhibition. Soon, the Conclave [of aesthetes] reminded that concave mirrors in photography is the “invention” by some image-deforming painter who was in his hype in the 17th century, as it can be checked in the well-known monograph on anamorphosis by Jurgis Baltrusaitis (Paris, 1955). Very erudite scholars, the aesthetes documented that Carlos Bragaglia, in Rome, tried to renew the system in the 1920. All this to deny the validity of this girl’s exploit, although she is recommended by the only art critic cared in Brail (from Roraima to Pelotas), the enfant terrible Olney Kruse, who presented Gretta on a page of the catalogue exhibition.
Despite the fact I am considered a simple chronicler for this newspaper and not properly recognized as an art critic by the professional category’s association, nor unionized in reason of age limits, I want to take my part in defending the painter-photographer whose show is presented at Galeria de Arte Global.

Pietro Maria Bardi
Director of MASP
AQUI – São Paulo, 18-24 March 1976
Translation: Tálisson Melo

 

...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................