, 1875-06-27

Eanteo ue1ota 1ne ulacoYafy or perspective by
Leonardo da Vinci with the best Of those WHICH
hAve followed. and it ia found that one OF
the chief merits OF all Of the latter con
elsts in the rigid subiectlon OF light and lines
hV tho iron rules formulated from that which u
now consldeted natural principle It WAS, too,
mony before the meak Guido Of Arezzo oiscoy-
| e1od tLa. certain intervals .had been fixed by
| nature; and all modern couuterpoiat departs
| from and returns to what We have come to call
| the common chord. It would be as reasonable
| to attempt musical art OF 1nuaicaI culture
without tie science Of music, as art practice or
art culture without tho ecienca Of art Tue one
is as clearly defined, a. legitimate and as G.zniy
| estab!sshed Is the other. Probabiy the highest
benefit, because the most general and the eodur-
| ing, which wo can anticipate from art-echooIs in
tho West. is the formation Of casta aud culture.
! and tbat the rettBbail be rure and tho second
! thorough and genuine instead OF the sickeninR
| affectetion which it is too often nov, depends
! largely npon the character and hc:os;y OF tho
! art-achoola.
Years ago Was one Of a class whose domu1e
! investigation Of Homer aud Cicero was varied,
| three tiruea week, By the wits OF French
gentleman who taught ua "art." He Was
pa1nter, whether OF helds sud skies and honses,
saw none OF bis work except IN our draH1ng-
books; but We knew he WAS an artist BY
Ills WONDERFUL MusrAcHE,
! and any doubts that fingered in tbs minds OF the
ekeptcal we're daily dumbfonnaed BY toe dapoB-
its under his finger-nnils He taueht us art n
BY eri1icising il ealHcized English. tbs manner
10 which Ne copied certain STUPID pictures on
ona side OF tho drawing-boo upon the opposite
page. These drawing books were like the con-
ventonal oopy-book, except that they contained
no proverbs; and tha pictures which We we're
expected to reproduce 10 fac smile, with four
pencils OF different blAcknesseo, often lay IN
uneasy, tilted, curved, or oblique attitudes, and
We looked at them aekanco, from many angles,
We copied them mechanically upon page OF
roughlsh paper held at fixed angle, and candor
tained claim to the trees, the castles, and the
riparian rights OF one picture By hny alleged
resemblance to the oaks, the towers, OF the
river in the other. We we're systematically
abandoned to the copying OF datness,-to tho
Imitation Of unitAslons
nut THE TEACHING OF AIT m 81. x4nrs
is very different. Here there is no copying Of
Hatness- did not SOC single imitation OF an
imitation. The drawing and the coloring axe
taken, in every Instance, from life. and some
not have been achieved iu any less Intelligent
way. No copying, e7capt from life, is tolerated
or thought OF. Every linz which the pupils
draw is drawn from life; every atom Of
color ia mimic Of the game atom in
model There is Just enough Of our sniap
Erandfathers left in us to make us all little
naonkeyish the average child can initiate COM
mon sounds, and reproduce simple pictura. 80
far as the lines are concerned. Give child tho
you tho picture Of chair. The child's chair
would not be safe, psThaps, to SIT on it may
not rest securely On tho floor, and its leRa may
have no settled relation 70 ita seas
or it's back, but it will be the picture OF chair,
ths " features being as recognizable ~ tbosa
Of some OF cur leading citizen4 in certain e1-
hibited portraits. But ask the sams child to
draw on paper tho chair which stsnds upon tho
floor, sud he cannot do it. He will give up tie
attempt In disgust sitter 4 moments effort It
thera one Sees the difference between ssudging
ars By s,nilatinc mutations, and learning a<t BY
drawing from life.
After learning to draw only from life,
TEE NEXT ESSENTIAL TO SUCCESS
is that the pupil shall be kept faithfully upon
shall be thoroughly mnststod In no direction
does ambition SO hasten ~ toward the compost
ton Of oolors- Every young artist yearus to
leap, spurted. rFca flying Pegasus, which
sbail dlsmount bin in = month. before \ vas!
canvas, witch he may daab according to the
sublime sport Of bis fancy. There vera no
"young landscapes on the walls Of
ST. MafY's srt department.; and it Was = CREST re-
lief not to be tortured by The sight OF even one.
A "youne poem " is bad enough bat May
should not have boon forgotten in the htanies.
The drawings s8u were simple and wonderfully
exact; ths best Of tbem-as we'll tho most diff
cult, Is every artiht kDows-boing uneompro-
for errors in such mathematical work |
will 70 outrage the tine aye a.
almost 10 get one crazy. The models, |
OF which there A1e many varieties, are placed |
before the girls, tho principles OF simple linear /
drawing e1pounded.-the head-tsscher, ought !
we'll and adeciona:el4 remembered in Chicago,
and tho girls 50 On with their study OF the |
model aud the experiment OF reproducing it.
until the fac samiie iooma up on the paper Thsss
\ whl'a. Il the student have talent it
becomes delightful work, bocause she begins to
teel its value. To attempt diverse drawing
.itaout learning to reproduce accurately from
life. would oe like undertaking to play = fogus
II Sebastian Bachs without learning the scales.
art what practice on the scales IS to progress in
music. Miss Starr Is ably supported BY S,otels |
whose talents are reinforced BY devohon-
for art, above everything elee in the
1orld, is devotional, and finds within
highest distinction OF its toll The noblest
OF art are notonously the inspira-
ion OF religion /; aud the churches nse the great |
,ainters' immortal monuments. II ars has
>ouornd religion. religlon hss rtanlJ rewarded
ims since tue renaissance, but, At least.
,piniou that in old times, men used
heir powers Of painting to show the objects OF
heir faith, while in later times ti,eJ use the
'bjoc:s Of faith that they may show their powers
# painting. Happily, however, the best a1t still
hinks less Of itself tnAn Of that which it strives
o represent, and tho greatest painters Of lbs
utuas will valua their fame as did thoae OF the
ast, according to the dignity Of shor subjects.
ong after philosophy shail have made tha l4ss
Aaau}t ur0n it