The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-03-08


art and decoration. Even people who know
nothing of art like to hear him talk, partly
because Ii is fashionable ard partly because
his style is so simple and engaging that what
he says anybody can understand De claims
70 have reduced art criticism to q science
The Times said, the other morning:
The method is best known from the lectures
OF Henrietta Crane, its greatest exponent,
and through its connection with the Hoge.
At an art reception that evening somebody
the paragraph and asked, What
on earth is the Hoge?'
ut must be the Hague" said one, allud.
ing to the great Dul ch painters"
Perhaps Ii means James Hogg the Eng.
lish poet" timidly suggested another.
ts Hoge himselt-Hog, don't you remember
Hoge, the great-uh- -uh-Germsn painter,
you know-of the-uh-several centuries
ago. don't you recollect2"
oh yesI' oh yesl" why, certainly"
They all remembered, for nobody wanted 10
be REGARDED as densely ignorant "0h, it's
that Hoge, is it?' they exclaimed. How
stupid Of Us not to think Of it Dsfore!"
Then they felt stupid, yet when Russell
was never such man as Hege; II was mis-
print for stage"
cornered Mr.. Russell on Monday in his
studio, and said Tell me something that
common people can understand about in
terror decoration"
Very WE'LL" be said cart Is an expires.
sion of mans relation TO nature. A knowl-
edge of art is a question of intelligence, not
talent People should study art as they
study English liteEature-to appreciate the
works of others, not necess arily TO paint and
write poetry. An immense number of
people think they are critics because they
have studied the historical and superficial
aspects OF art. They know where Michael
Angelo was born and when he died, who
Leonardo da Vinci was, what king picked
up Rubens' paint brush for him, aud about
the progress of Greek, Roman, Egyptian art
They buy books and photographs, they know
facts and details. their minds are simply
guide books Such people would be par.
alyzed IL, passing an unmarked pict1 you
should ssy, This was painted By Teniers or
This wss the work of Van Ostsd.'"
But, excuse me-" interrupted.
"Yes, | know" he said. About interior
decoration. Very well. All room decora.
tions should be simply background for our
selves. We now make our decorations too
pictorial. Most rooms that are Gale decor
ated are mere museums-a transfer of oh
jeots from q store to the drawing room
Each thing that salutes the eye says Lock
at ne. / am beautiful. / cost money /
sm the latest style. Each one challenges
special individual attention, like the objects
In q museum. This is fstiguing. This is
what makes a museum or picture gallery or
large store go wearyiDg A dwelling house
Is for rest, aud its decoration should be sub
servient TO restfilness Delssrte said the
best gestures are those which are never seen
but only felt The best dressed woman is she
whose attire is not noticeable. The best
furnished room is that in which, if
you are tired. you can sit for half
an hour without noticing anything
INTERIOR FURNISHINGS.
"The primary thing tc "a considered is our
walls The wall is the material environment
1t is 10 our parl0r what the sky and air are
when we are out of door,. The ceiling should
not tempt us to twist our necks to look at it,
1t is no place for pictures, and it should bear
DO frescoes, except of conventional lines and
forms-all the old masters to the contrary
What do we care that
Michael Angelo painted his enormous and
complicated frescoes on the walls of the Sis
tine chapel at the command of an ignorant
and luxurious poper Perhaps the artist knew
bstter ct the time. The ceiling should never
be obtrusive and aggressive, as 1t always is
when 1t bears frsscoed human figures or fruit
or flowers to pull 1t down. 1t must stay back
and away from rs.
NO MORE CHANDELIERS.
"Our chandeliers must ge-from private
parlors, l mean. This Is not merely paint.
ing above rs, but 1t is sculpture. Appsr
emily q chandelier pulls the ceiling down
several feet. There are three places in a
drawing room which we can make conspicu-
ous-the portal, the mantel and the sofa
which takes the place OF the throne. Here
we may decorate. But we stupidity maze
or most prominent OBJECT a mere brass ma
chine, put there to give us light. Just be-
cause 1t throws such food of light it be
comes our most conspicuous oblect-d warf
ing alike mantel, portal and sofa IL fills up
the center OF the room, throws light on the
tops OF our heads where we do not want it,
aud casts black shadows, giving to people
under and around it haggard look.
should want my ceiling, my walls. my car
pet, 10 be subdued in color and texture-to
stay away from me. so that the three spots
have mentioned might be made dramatic
The lighting machinery should be made sub.
ordinate, instead of being allowed to play
the title role. Our gas jets should be side
brackets From two Brooklyn mansions
where have spoken, the chandeliers have
been removed, to the enormous aesthetic
gain OF the rooms. Yesterday l was in a
70 I'm furnished by the late Colonel James
Fisk; it was fifteen feet square, and in the
center hung an enormous chandelier of
twenty burners and $50 crystal pendentsl
The lady who inhabits that chandelier has
been TO my talks. So she said, apologetic-
al y: i would remove it, but IL cost $300!'
Ii reminds me of the lady who, being con
verified, and resolved to give up the pomps
and vsnities of thus wicked world, virtueusly
tore off her ribbons and ostrich feathers and
gave them to her sistsrl Well, what were
We talking about? oh, yes; in our surround
ings we must avoid detachment and separa.
ton. The harmony of correspondence il
IN uch more beautiful than the harmony OF
contrast. The crudest idea OF effect in furn-
ishing rooms is to put something dark be
hind everything that is light, and something
that Is light behind every thing that is DARK
merely detaching and separating the object
frem its background This is bad. The col
ors and objects should blend. A room should
be like fine orchestra, where the music
comes to you in one sweep, not broken and
detached, not from note"
CARPETS. CHINA, ETC.
In reply to question concerning these
things, Mr. Russell went on;
I'VE have no independence OF judgment;
that's one trouble. We go to a carpet or
china store, and the merchant says, That is
what you want. This Is the latest thing. just
out, going to- be q craze That settles it,