Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-09-06
AN ART FAILURE.

a late effort to develop art tastes has
met with serious reverse, and would
indicate a lack of native talent that is
humiliating. Harper Brothers offered some
months ago cash prize of So, 900 for the
best original drawing to illustrate in Har-
per's Magazine Alfred Domett's christmas
Hymn" The condition was attached that
it should be deemed fit for the purpose in
tended by the judgment of the well known
art critics, r. Swain Clifford, F. D. Mllet
and Charles Parsons It was also stipu-
lated that they should not know who the
competitors were, nor should the promoters
of the prize. Il was made condition,
also, that the winner should on honor
promise to use the sum of money in pros
ecuting his or her art studies in the best
American schools, and in a sojourn of six
months abroad in study of the old masters
of Europe. No competitor was to be adj
mitted who was over twenty-five years of
age; and these constituted all the condi.
tions. 1t cannot be said that they were
onerous. The subject to be treated was
not 30 exceedingly difficult to handle.
Whoever is possessed of sufficient ability
to make art serious study, and has tastes
that lead him to pursue it as vocation,
should be able to fathom the hymn named
and transfer come idea of its sentiment to
the drawing board. But what ia the re-
suit of this competitive effort in art !?
Out of 33S drawings submitted, the com.
mittee unanimously agree that there is not
one to which they can conscientiously
award the prizs. MOI one, say the judges,
adequately illustrated the ides expressed
in the poem. This is humiliating cut
come for the American junior artists.
HGrper's Weekly attempts an apology for
them, but it is very evident that it has
little heart in the task. The regret ex.
pressed is strongly tinged with chsgrin.
The prize is to be again offered, with the
conditions modified and made less exact
ing. Probably the junior artists will
accept aome such task as illustrating the
sentiment and idea that they may find in
the pathetic tale of "Mary's Little Lamb :"
it is barely possible that they may rise
equal to the fathoming of the depths of
"Puss in Boots, or prove their ability in
lighting mp by the genius of their art the
lofty tragedy Of Jack. the Giant Killer. :"
The poem of Domett is one, says the
spologist for these junior, artists, that chsl-
lenges the designer to cope with rare
and subtle literary skill but, admitting
this truth, It is simply astonishing that
among so Imany contestants not one could
be found who had, to use the words Of
the judges, Al adequate conception Of the
thought of the hymn, nor an idea so nearly
approaching it as to deserve line
of commentator from q committee
admittedly juat. 1t was not expected that
there would be great depth to the work
that should win, or that the work would
prove to be a rare treasure OF art. It was
expected that the result would, however,
fairly represent genius of which we might
have cause for modest pride. We had .
right to expect some evidences of credita.
bic originality, some fertility of invention,
some ability 60 transfer q theme in words
to the speaking canvas. We did not ex-
pecs the contest to develop the precocity
of Giotto, whose originality filled the
Florentine critics with amazement nor did
we expect that the junior artists Of Amer
lea would under the competition described
bring to light and the worlds knowledge
another fascinating Raphael, whose life was
a pleasant romance and whose genius began
to shine in very babyhood but there was
belief that cur country could produce a
number of young artists, in response to an
offer such as described, who would give
promise of genirs that in the future might
command the respect of the country. We
certainly did not look for total failure.
IHz San Francisco Chronicle, driven to comics