Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-02-13
Arfin Nashville.

Painting az one of the fine arts, has never
kept Pace with the love of letters, among
our citizens. Before we can ever hope TO
attain eminence in the productions Of art,
we must develop an art sentiment n the
hearts of orr wealthy men "a we'll as in
the educated lovers Of the true and bean
tifnl. Art, in lis higher manifestations
does not receive its support merely from
the aesthetical element in our nature, but
very often receives its most munificent
patronage from wealthy men, who wish TO
decorate their halls with the productions of
art not because of their love Of art itself
but because il ministers TO the qualification
Of friends who are admirers of art. We
have many wealthy men in this city whose
halls are hung with the paintings of the old
masters, and then there are other men of
great wealth who never think of buying
picture, because there is no active, living
art sentiment in the community. ART
always appeals TO our love of the beautiful
and true. Philosophy only sees the beau
tiful in the true, while sentiment only sees
the true in the beautiful.
We certainly have artistic talent in our
midst, and all that is necessary to create 4
sentiment favorable to art ia, to organize
the lovers Of art into school. The neces-
sity of this concentration Of art talent
gave birth TO the Academy of Design
in New York, and under its in
huence many other art societies
have sprung up, until the whole city is
thoroughly aroused on the subject of art
culture. Now, New York city, has beside
the Academy of Design, the galleries Of
Schaus, Putnam, Snedicor, Whiting
Goupil, and many others which are open
to visitors. Chicago is fast becoming the
rival of New York in agriculture. The
artists of that city open their studios for
public visitors on every Saturday, and
thousands flock to them on this day, to adj
mire the wonderful productions of the
brush and the pencil.
1t is by this means that taste for art is
encouraged and the nation elevated in all
that enobles man and brings out the finest
touches of bis nature. We hope the time
will come when Nashville can boast Of an
Academy of Design, and be able to furnish
from our own galleries, landscapes as
beautiful as ever smiled under the touch Of
Cropsey. We have a country around us,
calculated to inspire admiration and rev
erence for art, aud it is dotted over with
battle-felds, which only need the brush of
a Raphael'to make them CLEAN with the
same ferceness as when war trailed lis
fiery FACETS over the land.
In garnet on Cherry street in this city,
is the studio Of an Artist who has resided
here for fourteen years. The stairway
leading to this gallery is dark and dreayy,
and would of itself seem 10 chill ali the
art-inspirations of ones nature. By perse
verance you reach the door. There is no
sign OF life or oecupancy-you tap
and light step is heard within, and the
door is opened A man some sixty years
old stands before you with brush in hand
on whose deeply furrowed brow Time has
written care and unrest. Though a resi-
dent for long time, he has not learned to
speak much English, owing to defect in
his hearing. The walls OF his studio are
covered with some Of the finest landscapes
with which our picturesque mountains
sbonnd. Many e these scenes were painted
in the solitudes of the Cumberland noun.
tains, where Nature has bnilt her own tenn
|
ing with violets, and the sparkling rills
sing their mountain lallabys or pouring
over cascades, build rainbows on the trans
parent air. Some of these scenes are taken
from Lockout mountain, and have much
merit for artistic skill, as well as truthful
ness TO nature. In this gallery there is a
painting representing the South before the
var. II is a kne landscape, a part ofShich
ia covered with forest, ROBBED in emerald
foliage. a nice pleasant farm house IS in the
front, surrounded by meadows and lawns,
while in the background is the we'll TILED
farm, rejoicing ia its iuKuriant harvest.
Cows and sheep are grazing abont in the
meadows, and the farmer Is sitting ont in
the front porch looking the very picture OF
content aud happiness. 90 the LETT a an
other picture, alas too often seen is oar
stricken land, called the South sftet the
/ War
The ioresis have disappeared lhe 6elds
are laid waste and grown up in weeds; two
chimneys stand like ghosily monuments Of
what hsd once been a happy home, and
the very genius of desoistion seems to