~ ‘REMOVED FROM SALON ON GOVERNMENT, ORDER

These paintings caused a public debate in France

AST

November, for the first rae

since the days of Napoleon III, the
French government tried to censor art.
Several paintings,
reproduced here, were removed from
the Salon d’Automme on President
Auriol’s orders because they were held
to be offensive to American diplomats
‘attending the UN sessions.
pictures shows Raymonde Dion and
a group of women halting a trainload
of munitions intended for use against
the People’s Republic of Viet Nam.
The other shows dockérs refusing to
load arms.

Picasso, Matisse and other famous.
French artists led the national protest
which forced the government to re-
store the pictures to the Salon.

including the two

One of the

GUIDE TO GOOD READING

Real challenge of atomic energy
to compel change in gov't policies

IT HAS'BECOME a cheap pla-
titude in many places to say
that atomic energy presents us
all with a challenge.

In fact the challenge is, will
the people change the policies
of the governments who would
use the atom for death and
force it to ‘be used for life?

The great service af Dr. Eric
Burhop’s book, The Challenge
of Atomic Energy, is that he
makes clear ‘that ‘this is the na-
ture of the challenge..

Dr. Burhop. has a double
qualification to write this book.
He is not only-a noted British
Scientist: he is a fighter for
peace as well. He assisted in
turning out the first atomic
bomb, 3

The essentials of atomic en-
ergy are clearly and simply
Stated. This done, he plunges
into ‘his basic theme—the mis-
use of atomic energy for war.

It is noteworthy that he first
deals ‘with the constructive ap-
plications of atomic energy.

But less than two percent ot !

the atomic effort in the U.S. is
devoted eel Wale to peaceful
industrial uses.”

His case is: :

* “Atomic power gives prom-
' ise of abundant sources of

power at a cost at least com-
parable with that of coal. But
we cannot have both bombs
and industrial atomic power
at an early date.’

Western policy, American,
Canadian and British is: The
bomb first and the peaceful use
practically nowhere.

It is this policy of prepara-
tion for war which faces man-
kind with the present crisis.

The appalling destructiveness
“of the atom bomb and the men-

‘ace to’ mankind it represents -

“are well known but cannot be
repeated too often. :

Dr. Burhop summarizes the
facts from official sources.

Without the slightest doubt,
he states; the atom bomb “is
‘a terror weapon of mass des-
truction for use against civilian
‘populations of large towns and
cities.”

It was estimated, he writes,
that at, Hiroshima, there were

some 34,000 severly burned
casualties. To cope with these
alone 170,000 doctors, nurses
and hospital technicians and 8,-
000 tons* of medical supplies
would ‘be needed.

To deal with the effects of
a single bomb of the Hiroshima
‘type (today they are even more
terrible) would require the
services of some 200,000 train-

. ed rescue personnel.

Capsule
Reviews

THE RIVER

Fragile story of adolescence
.against the exotic background
of India, beautiful photograph-
ed in color. The principal is
the daughter of a British jute
mill operator. ~Except for a few
notable scenes, it could have
‘been filmed in an English gar-
den. Not up to extravagant
publicity.
LULLABY OF BROADWAY . |

This is an awful example of
‘what happens when you set out
to make a musical according to
@ formula and without/an ounce

of originality from start to fin- |

ish,

THE DAY THE EARTH

STOOD STILL Oy
A literate science fiction thril-

ler with, of all things, a mes-
sage about peace. You could
do worse. v1

SATURDAY’S HERO
Trials and tribulations of the
son of a Polish immigrant who
goes to college on a football
scholarship, Creditable job on
the big ‘business aspects of the

_ college grid ‘game.

mii Ne

STANTON, MUNRO & DEAN
Barristers - Solicitors - Notaries

SUITE 515

FORD BUILDING

193 E. HASTINGS

(Corner Main & Hastings Sts.)
MARINE 5746

+B.

To deal effectively with a
number of the “improved” type
drop Pp ed simultaneously, he
writes, ‘seems quite beyond the
capacity” of any seta organ:
ization.”

A bomb, Sepibied on the
waterfront, could render a large
part of the docks and the city
“uninhabitable for years as a
result of contamination by
radio-active spray.” °

All this mea'ns, if war should
come, “we ‘have to. face the
possibility that our great cities
will ‘be reduced to smoking,
radioactive ruins and our peo-
ple—at least those of ‘them who
survive—reduced to a standard
‘of subsistence unknown since
the dawn of civilization.’

* Ke ok

THE DOMINANT theme of
The Challenge of Atomic En-

ergy is that 'the bomb must be ©

outlawed, he argues, and all or-
dinary citizens will agree with
him. :

But what to. do?

Dr. Burhop subjects to search-
ing analysis the Soviet propos-
als for outlawing the bomb and
international control of atomic
energy for, peaceful purposes,
and the U.S. Baruch Plan and
all the discussions since.

He clearly. exposes the es-
sential. nature of the U.S, plan
for ‘international’ ‘ownership
of atomic plants and sources in
an American-dominated author-

ity with no guarantee of the |

ultimate abolition of America’s
‘bombs. 4

At the same time he shows
how existing U.S. atomic plants

‘are really in the nands of the

monopolists.

The Paris meeting of the UN
General Assembly shows how
‘the Western powers are against
abolishing atomic weapons.

All the more reason, there-
fore, for Dr. Burhop’s call for
‘the people to take a hand and

' fight ‘to abolish the bomb. The

world peace movement, he
states, is leading the way.

Already it has had a potent
effect. The people’s will can
and must prevail. /

That is the message of this
small but powerful and author-
itative book, which is obtain-
able here at the » People’s Co-
operative Bookstore, 337 West

’ Pender Street, Vancouver, price -

$1.25. It should be used every-
where as a weapon for peace.
JOHN MARTIN.

HARD TO UNDERSTAND?

Critic answers questions
about Picasso's painting

“BUT HE can’t draw” is one
of the favorite remarks hurled
at Picasso admirers. Sometimes
it is confidently followed up
with: “I could do better my-
self.” ‘

Far be it from me to sap peo-
ple’s self-confidence ‘but the ex-
‘hibition I have just seen ‘here in
London indicated that the oper-
“ative word here should be cau-
tion.

A short time ago Picasso cele-

orated his 7Oth ‘birthday. To ~

mark the ‘oceasion the Institwte
of Contemporary Arts, in Lon-
don, presented a retrospective
exhibition of his drawings and
water colors since 1893,
Among these exhibits were
some little known early pen-
and-ink studies (done when he

PABLO PICASSO

was 14) which are models of
accurate and sensitive draughts-
tmanship. |

But once satisfied on the score
of his drawing, another ques-
tion springs to mind: “Well, if

fhe can draw so well, why did

he change ‘his style?” ~!

To answer this let’s retrace
our steps. When Picasso began
‘his career in the nineties the

spirit of post -impressionism was

leading artists to abandon acad-

“-emic drawing in favor of for-

mal experiment. Cubism and a
great many ‘other art move.
ments arose. —

It was the beginning of a
period of disintegration. Estab-
lished values were thrown over-
board. The artist, finding so-
ciety had no useful place for
him, 'beeame’ an anarchist and

a rebel.

In this nihilistic process Picas-
so became a giant figure, choos-
ing to ‘paint first in one style

_ then in another.

Of Picasso’s early nihilism
there can be no doubt. He him-
self has described his pictures ©
as “the sum of destructions,” a
phrase which admirably de?
scribes so much painting of the
last 50 years. .

But Picasso’s art did not re-
main stationary. “Guernica” in —
the thirties was ‘painted as a
protest against fascist ‘brutali-
ty.

“Did you do that?” a Nazi of-
ficer is said to ‘have asked Picas-
so, pointing to a sketch of Guer-
nica.

“No,” replied Picasso.
as d. ”

“You

A * *

OF PICASSO’s more recent
activities we need no reminder.
If his earlier work was a sym-
bol of a social system grinding
to a close, his dove has ‘become
a symbol of a new world and
way of life.

But many people are puzzled.
“Picasso,” they’ say, “is a Com-
munist. Why don’t we always
understand what he’s getting
roy Re

The answer is that Picasso has.
not yet broken with the past.
There are still traces in his
work of all those influences
which alienate modern art from
the public.

There are inGientions: how-
ever, in Picasso’s most recent
work, ‘“Massacres in Korea,” of
modification in ‘this style in
favor of a more direct and real-
istic treatment.

But it should be remembered
that any break with the past is
a slow and difficult process, as
other French artists, such as
Fourgeron, have discovered.

Picasso stands as a_ great
humanist and fighter for peace.
That is the importanice of this
art to us.

‘To judge from some remark-
able letters I have received,
Picasso has ‘some very narrow-

minded critics in the labor move-

ment of Britain and, no doubt,
of other countries; too.

If their neighbor cried out
“Peace ‘to the people of» the
world” few of them would think
of complaining of his diction.
But this is the calibre of a
great deal of the shot fired at
Picasso from intolerant critics.

—JAMES DUDLEY

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — FEBRUARY 15, 1952 — PAGE 3.

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