Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1889-04-25
DECORATIVE ARr.
Great A1-Areznd Prexrees Ma6s Durins
the Pasr Twensy-nvs Years


the Past rwensy-avs Years
Art that Is essentially decorative has
. natural analogy with essentially Tyr
ical poetry A form Of ~versifcatioa
oace chosen. the necessary cOaditio1.
Of meter and rhyme become 20 the
poet. as the qualities Of his material
to the artist opportunities. not re-
s~trictiouss not only opportunities for
beauty OF meter and rhyme but for an
emphasis on the u~tterancs Of his
thought not attainabIe outside that
form Of verse He's no poet who finds
rhyme and meter hamper his inagin-
alton. nor l. he who i no; inspired BY
the conditions Of bis material deco
rator- From the exalted position a.
sumed to-day by realistic painting.
decorative art seems TO run some risk
OF being shouldered into an altogether
secondary and Insignificant place Il
can O1ly BE- saved By it, material. ~
poetry by its lyrical qualities from tn.
assumptions Of realistic prose- We
must sing. and have fresh words 20
sing. aad a. n song may touch our
hearts as nearly a. a novel. we shall
II carr TO thIak o, Il a. on a lower
artistic level than the stories re GET
from the circulating library. Less
elaborately initiative Of the details 81
reality il will certainly he. but there
= In il for a. much % art. and
perhaps. in a more highly-dis;iIled
FORM for n much Of nature too And
50 with the adOrnment Of our rooms
and the windows thai we hIl With color
in our churches, We should not. IL We
can help il. wish that. though difereat
FROM they should be intellectually D.
meath. the pictures that We pay shiII-
ings to look at now and thea Art.
then can express itself 10. only in -.
completely flexible media that admit
the so-called realism Of representation,
but in materials thai impose their own
limits In art as in life. there Il no.
otlIty in. and compensation for. seIf-r~
straint as veil a. for the wise Akuoxk-
eignent Of external restraining neee%
sites The actor. for Instance Who
reveals too sooa the whole compass.
OF his emotional resources has lost hi.
hold over Is. the really impressive
nan showing - hat oaly a. the cuE-
nlnatlng tn-tars-perhaps not the
whole OF IL even thea Many hunas
interests cling close TO the productions
OF the decorative arts Of the home and
treside. which enshrine memories of
happiness or sorrow. crafty innocent
Vanitles. recall pleasant Inequalities
n TEEN with houely everyday asso-
Citations Il IS TO their advantage. m
vel as to their -posse-sors. il. beyond
this. the art in them Is OF n vital and
etear-peaEinz nature that Is inteIIigi-
Die. not oaly after death. n it we're. "a
the connosseur who ec.oszbs them 4,
a collection but during their lifetime
to the people who Possess and live with
them In this direction We have made
great aI-round progress in the Iasi
twenty-five years having struggled
pretty clear OF the worst period Of dec
orafiOn that ever existed A eonparison
EAEAAALS~ E4EDSEs aud
the ike IN general use now with
those Of a quarter OF n ee1tGry ago hu
been too often made 70 ned r~peti-
o here. but one vital po;n. in the
change il well worth noting People
no only use better coIors than they
did and more graceful furniture, but
they appreciate them. taking real
pleasure in the sof, colors OF their
curtains aud dress materials The
artistic revival has run its course.
gained its nickname. been taken I'd bv
society. satirized and dropped; but the
preference for delicate color over
crude survives l. and remains a per
manent possession Not now. in the
most out-of-the-way country place. do
ne least sophisticated natives walk 10
church clad in those gh2s,Iy aniIins
eoIors that once shocked the land
cape sbashinx the sober tints Of
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Review.
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