The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-09-18
whatever has been American represented

| And each person could take his choice
without dismissing this last considers
ton, something might be said in answer
| 10 your fourth question, us the American
display likely to give prominence to any
/ sehool?"
lit is fair exhibit I think there Ia
/ very little doubt that We shall see the enor.
| nous influence OF French teaching. None
OF the younger men can he said to have
escaped il, and by younger men I should
Almost incline TO mean any of those who
nave come mp within whole quarter Of q
century
In fact. there are very few painters or
artists in any part of the world at the pres
ent day who could be said to have abso-
lusely escaped this advantage or danger.
Inc greater number OF our painters have
studied in France, and If they do not rep-
resent IN their work French teaching Of
today, they will represent some of il in the
past And then when one looks back it is
rather difficult to distinguish certain
French teaching of far back from certain
teachings in other parts OF Europe of q
more recent date. Almost the only thing
that can see IS quite disconnected is q
section OF the English painters Of the last
thirty years.
In fact, every one is the son. sometimes
the grandson, of somebody else. Every
painter has TO be taught and has to take
something of his teacher. Ii was the same
U
century, which in my opinion had prom
Use OF what might be called American art
that has never been quite fulfilled. And
don't mean by promise something def.
mite and final which has no future, such as
the excellences of some of the work Of our
early painters
As rough example, however charming
and successful and creditabie to our posi-
ton In art at the very beginning of tho
existence of ths United States; however
excellent, say. are such things as Stuart's
portrait heads-notice, say heads because
there are no hands. and there is no any,
thing else, the thing is so complete in
itseif-the promises come in such work a.
Ailston's, much Of which is almost failure,
but IN which there has been q reaching
out for most of the problems of painting
which were carried out in Europe after his
day
have not the time to do more than give
an Illustration of what / mean. 1t NAV
be that the intellectual temperament of
the American, as he has grown to be
since the day of the founders, is averSe TO
experiments that may not pay; that his
native shrewdness has prevented his TAX
ing any risk; that he has grown more and
more TO dislike anything naive, which, as
II must be simple, may sometimes look as
deficient cleverness, in the capacity of tax.
ing advantage.
Now, putting aside the greater French
artists, let us say for the last few years.
Delacroix. Rousseau. Corot, Millet, ETC.,
the main French teaching is that of clever
people for clever people. And less and
less, for great many years, have our
artists been willing TO appear to be begin
ners.
Whatever points may see to make will
appear in our exhibit, il. as l understand
We shall have connected with the work of
the last few years full exhibition Of past
work
1 have been asked again, els there not
danger that too much emphasis will be
iaid upon painting, to the exclusion Of
other arts?"
Here you touch me deeply. have been
very much afraid that one art, in which
the American has done something new
and original and uninterrupted before.
simply because he has not been afraid OF
risking making fool of himself-that the
art of glass. Us the French call it, as it has
been developed here, will not be adequately
represented. AS l am one of its represen.
tatives 1t is rather of an effort for me to
speak of il as justice demands.
But, owing simply to what | was saying
"A certain innocence, a certain willingness
so take risks-there is no doubt that We
have accomplished in that one art some
thing which can stand with the best of tho
rest of the world. Note. of course, that it
is an inferior art, but 50 are some depart
Dl Ettrdture tnht are cultifatSQ Win
the greatest pains inferior to others. The
novel may not strike so high note as GER
tain Older forms, and yet il may DO excel
lent work of its kind.
Now. in painting we may do as well AZ
any men living, yet We shall not have
equalled Rembrandt, let us say. or Veias-
quez or Titan. We are not likely to sur
pass Michael Angelo or Phidias in sculpt-
ure.
But in glass the few excelences we have
reached are those that the European has
long given up striving for. No ono over
there thinks of rivaliing the work Of the
greatest past in the questions of richness,
depth of color and what might be called
orchestration; so that their work COM
pared to ours looks weak timid, even il it
be sometimes inotfensive from its lack Of
power.
Owing to this practice of art being a new
departure hereby new / mean since our
Last exposition-there has been no proviso
for its exhibition. We have acted accord
ing to one of the faults of the American
notwithstanding for granted that the
European has covered all that can be done
and that his classification, when IL leaves
out something, implies that that thing
has no possibility of existence. so, owing
to the fact that the classification of Euro
pean expositions has not gwen adequate
representation to art in glass because
there is no such thing Thereon rather. 1
should say, nothing of il that could not be
adequately represented by picture or
a drawing, consequently quite represents
able by that picture or that drawing-we,
Initiating their classification, have made
no such department.
In the same way Japanese art could not
have been adequately represented had not
the commissioners wisely determined to
change the programme in this particular
case. Hence, by the by, We shall have an
exhibition of Oriental art on its finest
sides never before seen.
But these fears of mine may be quite
groundless, there has been SO much to
attend to and things have To come one
after the other.