Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-05-14
SPRING SHOW OF PAINTINGS.


our National Academy Of Design at New
York is decidedly encouraging. for there is
some really strong work by young American
artists. Nothing very remarkable, with a
few exceptions, but much that is done care
fully and seriously and with an evident de-
sire to appeal to high artistic taste. IL is
greatly to be regretted that these good
things find themselves surrounded by SO
much that is ineptly bad-could the exhfbf'
tion be cut down to about one.half It's pres
ent size it might pass muster anywhere; as
it is, the admission of many worthless can
vases lowers the average of the whole. 1t is
not difficult to find an explanation of this
| too great leniency on the part of our jury OF
selection; to understand fully the admission
of certain very poor pictures one need only
| spend an hour or two in the galleries OF the
| Academy listening to the comments and
| criticisms of its many visitors.
All sorts and conditions of men pass
through the halls in tho course of an after
| noon; the wealthy woman Of fashion, looking
| perhaps for some suitable addition to the
walls of her drawing room; the professional
! man, wn o believes in culture, and thinks 1t
| sounds well to say he has visited the Acad-
| emy: the retired business man (he who Is
| still occupied in the pursuit of the mighty
dollar is conspicuous by his absence); the
old bachelor uncle, who brings his little
| nfeces and nephews with a view of giving
them proper instruction combined with the
| pleasure of an afternoon outing; the work
ing girl, who comes plainly attired, hoping
| for an hours pleasant relaxation among
| pretty things, and honestly anxious to inn
prove herself as best she may; then bevy Of
very Gaily clad maidens, who litter and
giggle at everything they see, and who prob
| ably have a rendezvous here at a certain
hour with half a dozen equally apprecia-
| tive youths. "And SO on, ad inf1nitum!"
| they come and they go, the only
point of resemblance among them all being
theircommon indifference to conventional
methods of art criticism. isn't that
pretty?" or "Oh. how lovelyr' are the COM
mandatory phrases they use to express
their approval and admiration. This Is
often before a weak landscape, or insipid
ideal" head, whic h has nothing but mere
prettiness to recommend it.
The Surface Satisfies Americans.
ART is yet to great degree sealed
book to the hurrying American. Pictures
he knows and likes, and they appeal to him
entirely by the subject they represent and
the sentiment they express; but of eIecu-
tion, of technique, he pretends to nothing,
taking little pains to appreliend solidity,
value or tone. If, with the aid of the title
in the catalogue the picture tells some story.
artist must be man Of great imagination.
He would know, of course. that no matter
how thrilling the plot of a novel may be, the
book cannot be considered literature unless
its style is correct. finished and vigorous;
but he has yet to learn that the same rules
must be applied to painting. There is
grammar in art which must be learned not
only by the artist, but also by the man who
wishes truly to appreciate good work; and
1t is of this grammar that great part of our
public has yet to instruct itself.
The difference between the merit of our
exhibitions and that of the Salon at Paris is.
OF course, striking; but there is an even
greater difference in the artistic culture of
the people who visit the Academy of Design
and in that OF the multitudes who flock to
the Palais de L'Industrie The Frenchman.
be he bourgeois or noble, is educated to feel
that his nations art is one of its most last
ing glories. and that he must understand it
if he desire to be truly patriotic. He visits
galleries from his earliest childhood, he
constantly hears pictures and their
merits discussed, he has keen
natural love of the beautiful,
and therefore he goes to the Salon with an
intensity of interest which we do not under
stand. He enters freely into the spirit of
the artist grows indignant over what strikes
him as being weak and paltry, and wakes
enthusiastic over that which is vigorous
and original. Thus it is that the French
artist paints to please an intensely sympa-
thetic and appreciative public. ever watch
ing for something newer and better, while
our artists have not yet such stimulus.
Where the Artist Is at Fault.
THERE is some fault to be found with
the artist as well. He is naturally anxious
togrow rich and famous, and he thinks in
order 10 attain this it is best to keep his
name constantly before the public. So he
sends off his work to exhibitions in New
York, in Boston, in Philadelphia, in Chicago,
sometimes only n little sketch done hastily
during the summer, sometimes an unfinished
study head, but, whatever it is it must go,
for he wishes his name to appear in cata-
logues all over the country. The public
isn't very exacting and his reputation must
lie made, the sooner the better Now the
French artist tolls year, often two or three,
before he accomplishes work which pleases
himself, and until he reaches that point
nothing would induce him to send his can
vas to the Salon. He must feel sure that it
has good qualities before he makes it public
property; and If, after n years patient
work, he is not satisfied, he would
rather begin it all over again than ex-
hibit something not worthy of his talent.
He can wait for his fame; and, as he loves
until fame brings fortune. The true artist
cares more for art itself than for the per.
sonal advantages which may accrue to him
thereby, and his great desire is to do his best
for the glory of the profession he has
chosen. The temper of the artist, his am.
billions, hopes and struggles have all been
made known to us in Zola's powerful novel
"EGuvre," and whoever has read this book
can understand the passion for work per Sc
which besets the man who feels e has some
thing to give the world.
A little more OF this spirit in our artists
more education in our people, and who shall
say what we Americans may not accom-
plish in the field of art7 At present we are
hampered by conventional ideas and by
prejudices which We share with our English
cousins; but shall not we, confessedly the
most versatile and most progressive of ma
tions, soon throw these aside and show that
we. can shine in art as we'll as in science7
Our landscapists are already we'll known
abroad, and we have number of young
fl fgure painters who are dong good work,
and who only need sympathy and apprecia-
tion to do still better. Let us then learn |
some of the difficulties which the painter |
must encounter and let US remember that a
picture is not always good because it Is
pretty. The subject, after ALL is not i'm
portant, and a beautiful girl may be very
badly painted, and yet be pleasing to the
unframed eye.
The Bane of Our Picture Buyers.
This worship of prettiness is the bane |
of our picture buyers, and has ensnared many |
of them into purchasing insipid pictures |
such as impossible pink and white peasant |
girls by Bouguereau and Perrault, |
who seem much more fitted to trip |
across the stage in an Italian opera than to |
work in the fields exposed to sun or rain. !
An hour spent in the thoughtful contempla- |