Kokoschka in His Time: Lecture Given at the Tate Gallery on 2 July 1986

In this lecture on Kokoschka, art historian Gombrich (The Story of Art) combines a broad discussion of the cultural environment of turn-of-the-century Vienna with personal reminiscences of the artist. Beginning with the influential writings of Adolf Loos and Karl Kraus, he sketches the prevailing esthetic arguments of the era to provide a context for the development of Kokoschka and his art, which is striking and sublime, doggedly analytic and transcendent at the same time. He notes that the artist could not sever the technical skill of seeingthe building of color and compositionfrom what he considered the responsibility of art to penetrate the souls and personalities of human beings, a seeming contradiction that perhaps accounts for the painterly vitality and rich effects that characterize his work. The text is clearly written and is full of details of Kokoschka's early life and education. Unfortunately, the reproductions are black-and-white. (October)