f ARTS The Michigan Daily. Wednesday, February 10, 1982 Page 5 Arcanum I-XIII a cosmic trip By Jill Beiswenger IF YOU ENJOY contemplating the unfathomable secrets of the universe, then you wll find Arcanum I-XIII, a series of prints by Robert Rauschen- berg on display at the Alice Simsar Gallery, a source of delight., Rauschenberg has said, "Painting relates to both art and life. Neither can be made. I try to act in that gap bet- ween the two." Using a combination of silk screen, silk and paper collage; water and hand coloring, he has ex- plored a new area of that gap; that place.where the arcanum, the secret of secrets reside. His intriguing, confounding and humorous sense -of composition con- tinues to exhibit itself, but this series has more delicacy than any of the works which earned him the notoriety as the "enfant terrible" of the Modern Art scene back in the 1950's. Works such as "Bed" and "Monogram" had the effect of drawing attention in the manner that Marcel Duchamp was referring to, when he said that if a painting didn't shock, it wasn't worth painting. The Arcanum series are luminous and mysterious in their beckoning. Rauschenberg said that he has "a peculiar kind of focus, I tend to see everything in sight." Arcanum I-XIII is a continuation of this inclusive ap- proach. Like the result of using a wide- angle lens, the images here tend to be somewhat blurred. This does not mean that focus is unattainable, but it must be pursued. As in "Rodeo Palace" of 1975-6, (a panel containing 3 hinged doors which allow the spectator a choice: open the doors or leave them shut), these prints invite one to look closely. They are seductive, translucent curtains behind which glimpses of ideas escape total qualification. As the spectator seeks to push aside the )ayers, it becomes apparent that it is entirely possible to penetrate beyond the backing of the frame, the wall on which it hangs, the structure of the building, on and on into the make-up of Records Kate Jackson and Michael Ontkean: Not and kisses in 'Making Love.' all hugs things, culminating, not surprisingly, in moments which offer a chance at per- sonal disclosure. Meaning exists within the viewer. Rauschenberg may not acknowledge that he has been directly influenced by Marcel Duchamp, but Duchamp's idea that it is the spectator who completes the creative cycle by a kind of "inner osmosis" would apply very nicely to Arcanum I-XIII. From the beginning, Rauschenberg has let common materials such as newspaper print, magazine adver- tisements, and sports stills "collaborate" in his works. Arcanum II features a pair of basketball players, one of whom holds his arms outstret- ched in a graceful hula gesture, while a player from the opposing team appears behind him in what looks like a ballet lift position. The two show up again in Arcanum V, but are upside down instead of merely being backwards. The newsprint is printed in reverse throughout the series. You would need a mirror (i.e.: an instrument of self revelation) to read team names, or what the totals are on the faces of the calculators who hold Arcanum VII up like pillars on a por- tico. All of the athletes are at a point of ex- tension/contraction where the outcome of their movement is unresolved. Will the partially obliterated outfielder in Arcanum IV catch the unseen ball he is striving toward? Is the boxer, hidden behind a sheer plaid fabric, intending a right hook or is he protecting his chin with his left? The athletes aren't the only images operating in the fluxing gap. In every print there is some image which provides the organizing energy for the composition. In Arcanum VI, Jesus is the central image; in Arcanum VIII it's the point of extreme tension in a rope linking a cow pony to its rider and downed steer. LIFT SOMEONE'S SPIRIT a FEB. 14 with FLOWERS + and BALLOONS4 from Universift Flower Shop, Inc. 7 Nickels Arcade' ' 665-6037 668-8096 . ' This central image is not always at the print's center. Some of them are so overlaid with material that the eye seeks an easier place to begin at. In Ar- canum, the clearest image is a hand with forefinger extended (as if securing a knot) in the right-hand corner. Taking this as an indication that the print is in- deed right-side-up, the eye moves back around the images like the silver ball heading for points in a pinball game. Rauschenberger, skillful interplayer of horizontals and verticals that he is, makes sure that every image is a pivot. Mobility over stability is emphasized. The Arcanum I-XIII series might be, considered as attempts to visualize the cosmic games between universal prin-, ciples. They are objects of contem- plation; icons. In them the black and' the white, the two opponents (without the two of them there would be no cause for the games) support each other in a dance that is the kind of spiraling movement common to plant life. and galaxies alike. What is so marvelous about these prints is that they draw the spectator toward an awareness that is somewhere bet- ween sense and knowledge. John Cage' called Rauschenberg's "White Pain- tings," "airports for the lights, shadows and particles." The awareness that takes off and comes back home again here is not directly translatable into mundane language. But it sure is exhilarating to linger out there among the signals. Making Love 'isn't 'what you 're thinking By Richard Campbell Twentieth Century Fox recently whisked me out to sunny Los Angeles for a press preview of several movies, and a chance to in- terview the stars and directors. Arthur Hiller's Making Love isn't a traditional Hollywood romance. It is certainly in a different league than his earlier-Love Story. The film is the story of a happily married man who decides that he is gay and wants to get outiof his marriage. Michael Ontkean stars in.. the movie as a man who finds himself in- creasingly troubled by feelings he doesn't understand. He is drawn to Bart, a writer unable to handle any kind of continuing relationship. This is the' love triangle at the heart of Making Love. For the most part the movie is simply a study in relationships. Barry Sandler, the author of Making Love, says, "I was attempting to deal. with three people reevaluating . their perceptions of romance. A lot of us base our concepts of romance on the movies, and they're false . . . they're illusory." . Of course the main idea of the film is that there is nothing wrong in a man making the decision to be gay. Sandler says, "I definitely set out to shatter stereotypes. . . It's a pretty daring risk for a major studio to put out this kind of film." Alan Adler, producer, comments, "I don't think the film is ahead of its time. I think it's on target. Quite obviously this film is going to cause some controversy, not only among people who would like to cen- sure it, but among the general audien- ce. "We've been surprised that many young men came out (of the previews) liking it. More young women came out uneasy," says Adler. Dan Melnick, executive producer, sees this film as breaking new ground. "I hope it will have a positive effect. I hope it will allow us to try new things.", he says. As for a major studio finally producing a movie of this kind he adds, "Corporate management is always going to be more conservative than in- dividual entrepeneurs." Whatever happens, as far as the distribution of the film is concerned, Adler remarks "there will be no backing away from the film." Why would Ontkean take on such a controversial role? "Both my parents were actors, so for me it's just another part. "The acting process is always an en- joyable one-even if it's real hard. Ac- ting is to climb into the psyche of another character. When I look at something I've done . . that's not me." To prepare himself for the role On- tkean stayed on the Twentieth Century Studio lot to get the feeling of isolation. He and co-star Harry Hamlin also screened a lot of films that dealt with male-male relationships. Ontkean says of this type of movie, "One of the pit- falls is that there's a certain expec- tation you have coming into the movie . . . every eye-contact is examined. Every contact is read even larger because of that expectation." Hamlin says of his character, "He is narcissistic, and an example of a thoroughly modern man. He is not willing to make commitments cause he's got too many options. His being gay was not intrinsic to his character." Because his character was involved in the gay community, Hamlin visited gay bars. "In this role there was a lot to discover. I saw a cross-section of gay life that I never knew existed.", he says. Concerning the love scenes, Hamlin says, "We did not rehearse those scenes. We wanted them to be natural. We were unprepared and nervous. The scene was shot twice and we printed the first take ... The scenes were as dif- ficult as any love scenes are." Ontkean added, "I asked him if he wouldn't smoke cigars on the day I kissed him. Other than that we had no problems." Ian Dury-'Lord Upminster' (Polydor It's sad that Ian Dury should end up such a liability on his first solo effort. Where we usually expect clumsily charming-if not downright insight- ful-ranting from him, all we get this time around is unredeemably simple-. minded rhyming. It's impossible to tell who should be more embarrassed by the verbal content of this album, the listener or Dury himself. There are, of course, some nice lyrical touches-such as "Red (Letter), -but they are a lot less ,memorable than the more unseemly moments, such as "Trust (Is a Must)." Lyrics to this poetic paean include: "Beans in your jeans. Beans in your jeans. Beans in your jeans.- Your jeans have beans." Next verse? Glad you asked. "Luck is a duck. Luck is a duck. Luck is a duck. Love is a duck." This LP is not completely for naught, though. If Dury's involvement could be extricated, this would probably be one of the most impressive albums df the year. It's the first time Chas Jankel has worked with Dury since Jankel left The Blockheads to record his brilliant self- titled solo album. Although one would think Dury would benefit from re- teaming with Jankel (it would have to be better then The Blockheads' Jankel- less album, Laughter), Jankel's musical adventurousness leaves Dury in the dust, making his work seem even less worthy than it is. Jankel's master- ful ability to hook almost every style of Black American music imaginable to a resilient reggae foundation (provided by Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shapespeare) proves that he has moved into musical territory that Dury simply can't match lyrically. So, Lord Upnministe&r comes off as more of a competition than a collaboration, with Jankel'the unfor- tunately obvious winner. I'm sure it wasn't Jankel's intention to upstage Dury-this seems a well-intentioned, if ill-conceived pairing-but it is simply a case of the right guys being in the wrong place-namely, together. -Mark Dighton 2INDIVIDUAL THEATRES Richard Dreyfuss Whose life. is its anyway. 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