The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-07

sage. Ana there is still something back of
that, and that is the artist himself, played
upon like an instrument when life itself
is expressed through him, almost without
his knowledge. Initiate nature2 Why
there are pictures of mine that have
painted themselves through me- There
was my acquired skill, to be sure, my
knowledge of principles and of paints, but
are these myself? When such mood is
on me / could almost paint with my eyes
shut and interpret natures message more
perfectly than any realistic imitation
could ever do"
Donatella-Even photography does some
thing more than merely to initiate. A
photograph of the landscape before US
would be wonderfully toned and softened
from the original; or even a reflection of it
in mirror more or less idealized. l re-
member a ''snap picture" taken OF my
own humble little porch at home. 1t had
umned Greek portlco. So imposing was it
that it inspired quite a feeling of dignity
in possession when | looked upon the
picture! You see, the sun himself gives
US hint, when he turns artist, not to be
too realistic in our work. 1t seems to me
the true province of art, whether of
brush, chisel or pen. should be to lift the
mind and soul out of the petty and trying
details and cares of everyday life and en-
vironment into higher and p;lrer atmos-
phere; that it should be an incentive. an
inspiration. ! do not believe a kitchen
interior, workshop, or table or cart
load of beets, cabbages and potatoes can
have this tendency, however skillfully
portrayed or whatever our opinions may
be as to the beauty and dignity of labor
We have quite enough of the real all about
us; like the poor, it is always with us /; let
us have it, where and as we must, trans
fused with as much of the ideal as may be
possible and consistent. Without it art is
like beautiful body without Iife-a mask
only.
Runnymede-Realism is valuable as
treatment but it is not art That is the
expression of the struggle of the divine in
man against the material. 1t is the creative
&c MUS working in the artist, prompting his
expression of what viii be, what should be,
rather than what is. He sees in the COM
mon the uncommon, where the common
mind sees only the common. But while
valuable as treatment realism should be
subordinated. Take q stage setting for
instance, where a magnificent picture is
presented. The imagination is stimulated;
the eye is gratified; the expression OF the
purpose of the picture fills the mind. But
present the same picture with the dividing
scene removed, exposing the workshop,
and all its beauty disappears. 1t ceases to
be art. 1t is mere mechanism.
hySieA-1G seems 10 Hne lndb Ine Qe1Ll-
ton of art cannot be made too comprehen-
sive. 1t should include everything that
we know or can ever know of truth. Truth
fills all the universe. We only see frac-
tional part of it. l would broaden out the
definition of art and make it embrace
everything real, everything ideal. Real
ism is but the physical expression, the set
ting of q particular truth. 1t has its legit-
innate Office. 1t is essential to the express
sion of the ideal. Ny effort is to see unity
in everything, In art the schools present
Us only fractional aspects OF truth. | do
not like this. Truth as we know 1T under
these finite conditions is truth only as we
hold it in proper harmonious balance. The
true poet, the true artist in any direction,
is he who in actual life apprehends the
greatest amount of truth and never dlSas-
sociates it from its surroundings.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS definition of
art makes me want to add to mine this
that art is an expression of the creative
instinct which we hold from God himself
Kenneth Malcolm-That is well said.
God creates; the artist recreates. He
reveals to Us the mystery and wonder OF
existence.
Hygiea-True art does not walk around
conditions, nor avoid them. 1t simply
accepts them, walks through and among
them, tlansfusing the material with the
spiritual the real with the ideal, but never
eIalting one at the expense of the other.
The Chiel-I think that the art of peo-
pie should be running commentary, so to
speak, upon the life of people. Knowing
the art of a period we should be able to
bring before our minds the people of that
period; to construct the time as the
naturalist constructs an unknown animal
on the outline of single bone. For in
stance, we know that Greek men were dis
sipated, luxurious and weak; that Greek
women were silly and loved gossip; that
they painted their faces and pinched their
waists and toes quite after the modern
method; but we do not gather this from
Greek art, which has given us only ideal
types.
Kenneth Malcolm-Ah, now we are get
ting our swords out of their scabbards. Is
The Chiel going to ride a tilt for realism
The Chiel-Not at all. At any rate not
for the modern realistic school. But do
we not get pictures of Greek life, say in the
comedies of Aristophanes, and in, for in
stance, that fifteenth Idyl of Theoeritus,
that are wholly different from yet quite
as true to nature as are the Dianas, the
Antinouses and Venuses of ancient sculp-
ture? Would you dispense with them, as
too realistic?
Kenneth Malcolm-These things doubt
less have place in literature and art-but
only subjectively. The mean, the weak,
the frivolous should be exhibited only for
the purpose of holding it up to scorn,
never for the purpose of the mere exhibit
ton.
Runnymede-The statement made by
the Chiel is that art, for each age, should
be an expression of the life of that age.
That seems to me sound.
Kenneth Malcolm-But art must select. |
A mere Photographic statement won t do.
The true doctrine would seem to be that
the artist should study life carefully with
his senses and interpret it with his soul.
Runnymede-The illustration of the
manners and customs of people belongs
to the literary and artistic artisan, and not
to the artist. The continual representa-
ton of men as they are would be an en-
barge upon all intellectual and moral
progress.
The Chiel-I think we are agreed there |
I only meant to say that in presenting life |
care must be taken that we do not exclude |
all but one view. The picture must be |
composite. Exaggerated idealism, for in
stance, would present as false picture as
does Photographic realism, and is as in
artistic. l spoke of the fifteenth Idyl. In !
1t Theocritus gives US picture OF feminine |
frivolity, in Praxinoe worrying over her |
clothes. But he shows US, too, the same |
woman forgetting her crushed and spoiled |
garments when moved upon by the power |
of the hymn to Apollo. This while She is |