Daily national Republican. (Washington City [D.C.]) 1870-1872, 1870-05-11
ART IN TUE DISTRICT or COLUMBIA
Prepared BY Capt y. O. Adams for thr BH-
reru ofN,tI,,nI RdurutIou.
AN Ant COMMISSION APPOINTED AND BITTER
THINGS EXPECTED.

THINGS EXPECTED.
Mr.. Humphrey Marshall submitted the com
mlttec's report 70 Congress on the Sd Of March,
| 1880 Geo EN. Doe. No. 49, 98th Congress, LIST
session, and II was ordered 10 be printed. II
was again brought up In the House, and &c
ton taken on L. Resolutions were introduced
June IL, 1853 and March 3 1859, authorizing
| the President OF tho United States 10 appoint
an art commission, composed Of three 81 the
leading artists Of the country, 10 examine and
report on system Of decorating and cfnbol-
fishing our public buildings and grounds so as
best 10 secure harmonious result &C., &c.
The President appointed Henry X. Brown,
James X. Lambdon and John v. kenseu rs
gentlemen well suited to represent the art In
terests Of the country, and by their inycstlga-
lions give general satisfaction to the country.
! Mr.. kcnsctt ranked high Us Landscape
| painter; Mr.. Brown had glyon Us something
| really good In sculpture, and Mr.. Lambdon
| had attained q respectable position In his pro-
fcsslon. 1twOuld have been exceedingly dlili-
cult TO have selected mon who would have
been moro acceptable 20 the profession, or
whose opinions would have had grcator
weight with mon Of taste all over the country.
These gentlemen accepted the trust cOiIfldod
| To them; assembled In Washington and I'm the
| 18th OF juno, 1852 proceeded TO their labors.
What at hrst seemed IN them a matter Of easy
| solution, Increased In magnitude and difficulty
as they progressed. They found those In charge
u the Capitol inclined 10 regard tho action Of
| the commission rs nm interference with their
rights. Unjust be confessed, nlso, that the com
mission do not seem 10 have been equal 70 the
task before them, or capable Of grasplng all
its difficult points, Topalnt good Landscape,
| or execute good statue, was one thing; 10
devise q comprehensive and acceptable plan
for the decoration Of great public building
was quito another. ..-
The result Of this commission, which spent
thirteen months In Washington examining
1 NaHl.a. Ia.1
plan Of It's own, nj acost TO the Government
Of 90, 900, or more, was brief and very UNI
satisfactory report Of about seven document
pages. Indeed, the commissioners seem 10
have confined themselves TO cOndcmnlng and
very properly, what had been done, and d.
recting their deliberations to questions Of
| minor Importance.
We arc told. "Thc erection Of great ma
tlOual capitol seldom occurs but once In the
life Of nation. The opportunity such an
| event affords is an Important ono for the oX-
preston Of patriotic devotion, and the perpet-
uation, through the arts Of painting and scnlp-
lurc, Of that which is high and noble and held
IN reverence by the people; and II becomes
them rs patriots to sec To II that no faint of
fnlsity IL suffered TO be transmitted to the fu-
turc upon the escutcheon Of our national
honor In Its artistic record All Of which
simply means that native artists arc the most
proper persons TO decorate o great national
building like our Capitol, and that foreigners
cannot be called In except nj the risk OF fals-
flying our history and our character. We may
not state the point exactly ns the commission
crs intended H. but that Is what they mean.
The style u decoration begun had been nearly
carried 10 completion at that time and with
so grave an error already committed, the diff
Guilty OF finding remedy Increased.
The commissioners very properly ccnslired
what had been done, which was very easy,
but fell far below what was expected of them
when 1t came to dealing with the future. II
the system Of decoration begun had been
stopped where Il was, or the foreigners dis
charged and the work given TO Americans to
finish, II Is very likely we should have had O
much worse failure 10 complain Of than that
which We now 80 loudly and justly condemn.
ut Is presumed, add tho commissioners
ITO be the wish Of government not only 10
donate their present buildings in the best pos
siblc manner, but Ia use the opportunity which
the occasion affords 10 protect and develop
national art. II there Is 10 be any dlscrimi-
nation between native and foreign artists. the
preference should be given 10 citizens"
Very likely those In power mover for a mo-
mont took this question into consideration
whom they planned the Internal arrangements
Of the Capitol extension, which, after all, arc
merely copies, with a few expensive expert
mcnts attempted as improvements. We look
In vain among them for originality or invent
I've genius. Nor would any one Of the COM
mlssiOners have recognized the men who were
performing this mere work Of imitation as
artists. The work they were doing was mere
decorative painting, and could not by any
stretch Of technicality be elevated to the dig
nifty Of fine art.
"" say the commissioners, this assump-
ton be corrcct"-meanlng that the decoration
Of our public buildings shall express some
thing Of our national hlstOry-'the money
expended by Government for tho last Ave or
ak years for this purpose has been misapplled,
with the exception oil commissions like those
awarded 10 Crawford and Rodgers; for we
find but little else which relates 10 our history,
or In which the American mind will ever be
interested. The arts afford q strong bond Of
national sympathy; and when they have full
filled their mission here, by giving expression
TO subjects Of national interest, In which die
several States shall have been represented, II
will he browning triumph Of our civilian
ton.
art like nations, has It's heroic history;
It's refined and manly history; Its eilimluate
and sensuOus history Ihc sure prcsagc Of ma
tional decay. Our ART Is Just entering upon
the first Of these planes. Shall we allow ID TO
DO supplanted here In It's young life by that Of
an effeto and dccayed race, which In no way
represents us7 Our pride should revolt nj the
very idea. We should not forget so soon the
hOmely manners and tastes Of our ancestors
aud the hardshlps they endured with I'M
dauntcd hoaIts; but II should be our pride To
welcome their yenerated forms In these build
ings and grounds, and surround thom with
the insignia Of nations love and homage;
and patriotic hearts shall perform the noble
work"
This may be very good as patriotism, but II
Is difficult 10 sec what II has 10 do with the
subject under consideration, which Is simply
10 devise plan Of decoration, and advise as
TO the best way Of doing the work. The com
mission wandered out Of it, way, and took
latitude hardly warranted In Its haste 70 con-
denim; They found an ill-contrlyed, badly ven
tllatcd and lighted, and unhealthy Senate
chamber and Hall Of Representatives, with an
ample number OF inches, panels, and stair
cases, where works Of art paintings and sta
| tues could be put, IL was the duty of the
commissioners To tell U.S. In the simplest man
ncr, what kind Of works were best suited for
| the building, and how they should be placed
To produce the best effect; and II is owing to
the absence Of this, and disposition To con-
| demn everything, and Censuro even when cen
sure was not deserved, that the commission
failed Of Its object The homely tastes and
manners of our ancestors, and tho hnrdships
they endured with undRuntcd hearts, had very
little 10 do with the simple question Of deco
rating the Capitol Of great nation like ours.
Cappellanno, Cusici and GeYelot were plisled
by similar fancy, and In attempting to depict
the hardshlps and struggles OF our ancestors
gave US those hldeous earicaturcs which ex-
cite Iidicule, violate good taste, and dlsagure
sincere In believing that Americans know
nothing about art, and that they must give US
something 10 please q crude and barbarian
taste. In short, we paid them well for maxi
ing our great ancestors cut a sorry figure In
art 3D..
But as very few Of us care about fixing the
date Of our ancestral history anterior 10 the
revolution, VIC viii not stop to inquire how
the manners Of the present day Will compare
with that or whether there had been any I'M
provement ut all. That there Is q more cor
rect and Gxacting taste In art cannot DO do
MED; and II Is the taste and manners Of tho
present day that We must consult respect and
adapt our art 10; and II Is because we have
overlooked this fact, and attempted TO initiate
the models and style demanded by the taste
Of some effete nation, that we arc found max
ing 30 many costly failures. The same was
the case In England; but the error has been
corrected and remedy applied through the
medium Of her art commissioners.
The report Of our art commission, II must
be confessed, falls far short Of It's object and
disappointed lis best friends. In short, Il was
weak and feeble when compared with the