European Panel Scans Current Cultural Life

An Italian, Pole, and Frenchman discussed European culture at the International Seminar last Wednesday evening. The men comprising the panel were: Lucio Pozzi, a professional Italian artist; Lucjan Kydrynski, Editor for Cultural Affairs of the Polish "Przekroj Weekly;" and Louis Paul Marcorelles, Assistant Editor of "Cahiersedu Cinema."

Pozzi began the series of short, informal lectures on the European cultural scene with a survey of modern Italian painting, illustrate; by his own slides. Pozzi pointed out that avant-garde movements have degenerated into academism, and pleaded for an end to manifestoes, nebulous theories of art, and similar modern diseases which encourage supporters of a vital and non-introspective movement in art.

Modern Polish music was the subject of the second lecture delivered by Kydrynski. He gave a brief survey of Polish music since World War III. He also played Stanislaw Wiechowicz's "Letter to Marc Chagall." The music sounded eccentric to untrained ears, but Kydrynski pointed out the beauty and the structural soundness of the piece.

Marcorelles concluded the program with a brief talk on the modern cinema, followed by the showing of Andre Heinrich's film, "Nuit et Brouillard." The film illustrated the horrors of the German concentration camps. Marcorelles called it "an honest film," but its many revolting scenes disturbed some of the audience.