The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-05-07

There are IN nrt circles as in other divi-
sions of the body polite considerable
number of disconnected people who have
persuaded themselves and tried to persuade
others that American art is going rapidly to
the dogs. Pointing to the incoming of for
eign pictures and the outgoing Of American
students they argue the end Of distinctive
American art at no distant day. 1t is to be
regretted that many artists for their
own selfish motives encourage this
narrow mindedness, and though they must
very we'll understand the absurdity of
the agitation they encourage in order to
profit by it. The extreme advocates of what
is rather confusedly called American art as
distinct from all other nrt do not seem to
clearly understand what they are seeking
after, and certainly we confess we do not.
The main idea seems to be that our artists
should borrow nothing from the European
schools, but should set themselves to work
new processes in the interest of the native
American school which is to be estab-
lished some time in tho future. Others
again consider that the safety of art
on this continent depends on our returning
to the school of Copley and Stuart, which
they declare to have been the golden period
of American art. Between those two classes
of nativists it is really very difficult to dis
cover what the advocates of the American
school want If we return to the school of
Copley and Stuart we must go to Europe,
for though those artists were Ito the manner
born" their art education and school were
thoroughly European. Even the landscape
painters who have most claim to be consid-
cred distinctively American have followed
processes and rules they learned from the
European schools, and in so far cannot be
considered strictly American in the sense Of
owing nothing to the experience and teach
ing of the outside world. Yet great many
artists and others talk and write as though
new art of painting had been discovered
on this continent which it was important
should not be forgotten, whereas the truth
is that whatever artistic culture ever ex-
listed among us came over the water. And
the young men who within the past few
years have gone to the European art schools
and set themselves to work seriously to
acquire the technical knowledge which has
been handed down by generations of artists
will in tho end provo the best pillars of that
future school of American art which is
destined to astonish the world. But before
we can have national school of art
we must have competent teachers, and
these will be found among the young
men who today arc working earnestly in
the studios Of Munich and Paris under in
telligont direction and favorable conditions
of study. The cry attempted to DO raised
that American students should waste their
time in the New York Academy of Design is
simply nonsense, for there is scarcely third
tiles for the study of art arc not offered
to the student What is wanted among our
artists is thorough mastery of technique,
and it matters little in what school it may
be acquired so that it is secured. After
ward the individuality Of tho men will
assert itself nnd tho foundations of native
school will be laid. But first our ar
lists must learn from the European
schools sound technique, just ns
Spain learned from Italy, and yet built
up q school of such marked individuality
that Spanish art may fairly claim to be thor
oughly original. The progress Of American
art within the last few years has kept pace
with the increased influence Of the French
and German schools, and as that influence
widens so American art will rise to higher
plane Applying the methods and princi-
pies which undorlie all art alike it will then
be American only by tho accident of local
color while being universal in oil else.
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