The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-11-28
PROSPECTS OF ART IN AMERICA.


OF people, no matter how low in the range OF cvIll
cation but has. however elementary In principle or
imperfect In execution. o taste for art. Tho rude
tattoo or fetish OF the savage may cause smile ut
It's groteaquo crudity, but II Ia the germ Of the
spirit to which owe the Venus dc Milo or the Ma
donna III San Sisto. AS civilization and education
progress, the arts arc developed. 1t Is interesting
well as curious to notice their close relation aud
mutual dependence. The rudest savage has eyes
and hands as we'll as the most cultured artist and
sometimes uses them to almost as little purpose 80
that art In some form or other Ia possible even to
him. 1t is tho training and directing OF the fGcul-
ties-thelr education-whioh deveops ana
strengthen them. This training and directing owe
much to the accidents OF physical conditions OF eli
mate or locality though In o far Less degree DOUBT
less, than TO moral or social influences. Tho limited
social and Political condition Of the Chinese may
have for more connection with their imperfect Ideas
OF perspective than might be at 1rst supposed. The
exquisite care OF the Germans In their drawing IL
doubtless materially Influenced by their habits Of
thought ana thorough methods Of general educa-
ton. No one can be ignorant OF the causes which
render Americans the most promising landscape
painters Of the modern school, The warmth OF
coloring In the ventan school OF Titan or Tntoretto
the strong effects Of Rembrandt and his followers
the minute and elaborate treatment OF the Flemish
painters the purity Of form and color OF the pre-
Rafrhelite schoo-may all be accounted for In this
way by many influences extraneous to simple cul-
ture and education. We thus ind the Development
Of ART in community due chiefly doubtless to tho
progress Of civilization aud spread OF education but
greatly modified and affected by variety OF what
we may call accidental causes. These arc facts
which In general way are not disputed
In regarding therefore, the prospects OF art In
America we must consider briefly the capacity Of
the people, their advantages for culture and tho il
nuence OF cline and locality Amy artist thoroughly
IN earnest impresses so much OF his individual
nature and character In his work that tho observa-
ton can only have general value. There are few
nations which have, arti1cialy speaking, the I'm
mense advantage Americans have In their hctcro-
gcneity. Whatever social or political disadvanta-
ges may accrue art, Knowing no particular race or
country. gains by 1t immensely. Mutual criticism
tends to correct defects. Merits are observed, and
they exert their quiet but certain influence. The
dnerent nationalihes and schools OF art thrown
together lose many of their distinctive and
antagenistc characteristics These die out
gradually but surely. Art UNIVERSAL absolute,
catholic, rises like tho fabled phoenix from
the ashes of contention. strife, and Individual TASTE
As nearly as the American nation can be said to
have any one distinctive Characteristic which IL not
borrowed from some nation OF whose people IL il
partly COMPOSED, 1t is quick. easy, we had almost
said ntmtivc, perception, which renders the acqul-
si.ion Of any learning comparatively easy. 1t has
also bold frank nature-a nature not always tena-
cious, perhaps, but ready to learn and admit It's
errors With the means 10 AFFORD opportunities for
and easy communication with nations !
which have already taken high rank In art, these
qualities become OF great practical advantage. The
American artist who, some years since, was obliged
to go to Europe in order to perfect himself may now
very nearly do 50 without leaving his country.
In fact one OF our sculptsrs, who might take pro-
minent rank In any land boasts that Nature was his
only fnstructress, and several OF most prominent
painters have never crossed the Atlantic. This tells
much for art In midst. 1t shows that her growth
has been rapid We do not mean BY this to dsparage
the study and consideration Of masters ony to
show that there Is such thing as what may be
called indigenous American talent, as ground to
work upon and with. There Is scarcely now all i'm
portsnt city In the country which not Its schools
OF art and design; ana one which fifteen years ago
numbered but thirty thousand inhabitants ana was
little moro than country town, recently opened its
AIT Exhibition, and one. too, which promises to take
high rank among the prominent Institutions OF tine
land.
There are very few landscape painters in any part
OF the world who can excel, II equal many artists
of whom the country boast. One asks, why
only landscape pointcrsG This leads to the sec.
ona OF tho two great considerations which contri.
butte mainly the development OF art-thc influence
OF character, climate aud locality. There seye-
raj why thus particular sphere oil art-land-
scape pantng-sh0uld be more successful among
us which it Is foreign to our present purpose to
consider. As fact, IL is. This Is quite uni yersay
admitted.
We have said that Americans have quick, easy
and this may be only an additional rea-
son why, In the great law Of compensation, thoy
possess the great c0rreative fault OF want OF study
and application. Tie more easily man learns The
less inclined Is he to devote much time to study He
relief-perhaps naturally enough--on his facility.
lie undertakes the difficulties in his way by com.
pairing them with his own power. They seem too
to surmount. Important points are
often thus left uAstudled In the attainment OF
greater ones, which are but the more lnsurmount-
able for the others neglected. With the diversified |
nature reaching from arctc3 TO tropics, from cast
west, stretching over almost every graduation from
TO barbarity, with variety Of effects
OF season and climate, Of which, perhaps, no one
other country can boast every facility and inspra-
ton is offered to the landscape painter. Othcrs on
the contrary, have the same obstacles rs arise in
other countries. without all the aids to overcome
them. The loss or the influences OF being sur
rounaea by works Of art and cultured taste Is one
we cannot but feel.
Nature herself III her simple glory inspIres the
painter. When one can GO directly to
the source to drink the draughts OF inspiration
how Idle and useless to take it at second hand! Her
various aspects teach him, her Influences affect him.
and something OF her spirit at length becomes in
fused into him.
with these splendid advantages then is 1t not evil
dent that the more especial province or art In Anne
RIGA will be landscape painting in Its wide and diver
sihed neld' Our figure painters as rule need mucn
care and study. They have not the aids OF which
we have first spoken Too often they learn from
Others, whose faults or preudlces they imbibe,
while they, nnconsciousy perhaps. alstort their
good points Excellent as arc the schools and su-
perior to what they were, they still, as yet,
iau Jar short OF those OF the principal European
cities Ihey have thus long route, and have