The morning call., 1893-01-08
WHY GROSS GOT 1T.
Local Artists Declined an
cad" Contract.
Eleven Panels at the Worlds Fair to
Be Filled by Big Eastern
Cyclorama Solicitor.

The award OF contract of decorative
painting at the California building Of the
Worlds Fair in Chicago has drawn atten-
ton to the position of California art
Every other kind OF work in the Califor-
MIA building has been intrusted to Cali
fornians, but this particular contract has
been let to Howard H. Gross. an Eastern
cyclorama painter.
The space to be filed is chiefly at the
north end Of the building. 20x90 feet in all,
divided into three panels 15x2O feet each.
1t was understood that the central panel
should reproduce tie harbor of San Fran
cisco and be fanked by representative
pictures of leading valleys in Northern and
Southern California respectively.
Here were capital subjects for local art to
display itself upon. yet an Eastern man
steps in and takes it all.
Could not California supply from her
wealth of artists-her Hills, her Keiths.
her Robnsons, her Yellands, her scores Of
others-talent enough TO decorate these
peculiarly Californian panels?
How would this singular discrimination
appear in the eyes Of Eastern visitors?
Must California send to Chicago for arr?
Commissioner j. ID. Phelan willingly ex-
planned the award made to Gross by the
body of which he is a member.
Il think we got good bargain in Gross, I"
said he.
I'VE did not advertise for bids for the
work. 1t is true. but the subject was fully
discussed in the apers.
Local artists were asked TO do ii, but
only one was found who would undertake
II on our terms, and he was unable to pay
his own expenses. Matthews and JOullin
refused, as they had their own canvases to
attend TO; Keith did not believe it to be in
his line; Yelland wanted guarantee, and
Tom Hill was Ill.
sThen Gross came. and we found he was
capable, having painted the Siege of
Paris" and being now engaged on the "Chi-
cage Fire" lie also painted the first
"Waterloo," and is responsible man.
being credited in Bradstreet with 100000.
Gross first offered to do. the work for
S500O to which the commission would not
consent. Then he offered, IL he were given
permission to solicit in different sections of
the State for work 10 fill the three panels
and others available to the number of eight
he would paint the harbor Of San Fran
cisco for $1,000.
"The Commissioners refused on the
ground that IL they spent money for San
Francisco and made the other counties pay
for their panels Ii would excite jealousy.
FINALLY one Commissioner-yes, 1t was
I-agreed to give Gross $1,000 out of his own
pocket for the picture of San Francisco. and
Gross was then given permission to fill the
others. lie has already secured sketches of
Del Monte. the Leland Stanford Jr Uni
yersity. the VIVA ranch, San Gabriel Val
ley, Santa Barbara. Fresno and Kern
County, all paid for by individuals or cor
porations, and the commission not paying
one cent.
"Of course we would have preferred local
work but as / have said, there were none
who could undertake 1t and the time is
short.
Local art, however will not be ignored.
Other walls are open to them and we are
collecting a fiue exhibition Of dead and liy-
ing artists canvases. which will be one OF
the features of the California building. CAL
ifornia artists will have ten times the space
of Gross"
A number of local artists were interviewed
and the majority seemed 10 think that the
class OF work required was somew hat out of
their line. although they admitted that If
the conditions had been different they might
have contributed.