The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-02-03

pen, but upon Analysing it I find that
the impression has been forced by a
play Of dazzling words and fOWeTy
sentences, some of which cannot pass
without offering a few remarks. You
say that mountains 'can and do af-
ford material for an endless variety of
beautiful and pleasing pictures, in
which a very large majority of people
of good taste find pleasure" l cannot
imagine what you base this statement
upon. 1t may be upon the number
manufactured. 1t surely canot be upon
the number sold. You should remem-
Der that an art which is only pretty OF
/ amusing is of a dangerous kind 1t is
not elevating or refining. though it
may serve as a harmless diversion
from daily toll
In referring to that vermillfOn DOr-
trait at the Worlds Fair by Bonnat,
/ which had the carrying powers of
Krupp gun," you have gained for me
here what [ could not possibly have
done for myself, and with such force
that it must carry conviction wherever
it is read. Great art may have no sub
ject but very rarely an obtrusiVe one,
50 we find a difficulty at once in trying
to paint our mountains-andi it is only
too true that they force themselves
upon us. The colors that you speak Of
may be there, but the atmospheric eff
fects in blue and purple" are, oh. so
rare, that one would have a hard task,
indeed to penetrate the grays in
search Of them. Mr.. Editor says Eve
are all poets on the mountain tops"
| Yes. and [ say we would all be poets
on top of the Eiffel tower, with such
beautiful, such enchanting valleys
spread before US. Not because of the
rugged rocks, the laundering noises of
the ca,taracts and the awful precipices
which fill one with horror as one gaZes
upon them beloW-terrifying enough, 1
think. to knock all the poetry from
people who sell soap and sugar on
Main street or advertise pants at $3.50"
There is a quiet spirit in these woods,
That dwells where'er the south wind
Where, underneath the white-thorn, in the
The Wild flowers bloom or kiss the soft
air,
The leaves above their sunny palms out
That spirit moves
In the green valley. where the stlvery
From its fun LAYER, pours the white cas-
And, bubbling low amid the tangled
woods,
Slips down through moss-grown stones
with endless laughter
Henry WadSW0rth LOngtellOW.
In support of your argument you say
eff mountains are grand they must be
/ poetic"
1t would be just as consistent TO say
that all poetry is grand.
There is a difference between what is
poetic in she literary and pictorial
sense, which may he discussed hSreat-
ter, showing also the difficulties THAT
1ff 1r1re
paint mountains, while such difficulties
may be readily overcome by writers. /
am not at an surprised that you have
gone to the word post for support. For
had you looked to painters for light, 1
greatly fear you would have found
darkness in The place thereof.
! Not but tlnat There are plenty of
mountain pictures for reference, for
! they have been painted at from Raph-
aed's day down; but we do not go to
tlen for poetic feaSdS, although L am
Iuere reminded that Mr.. Moran's pic
ture of the Yellowstone has stirred a
soul.
! But what has become of these mlun-
tain paintings? We see or hear not of
them today The answer comes back
THAI ARTISTS Nave all gone aStray in
search of some fog tree N q marsh. y
AT the Worlds fair net even Norway
came forth with her lovely scenery.
Whats the matter? Why, sir. they
have sought other fields. Some may be
found hoeing cabbage and turnips in
the garden, while others perchanoe may
have gone al fishing.
! No. Artists have come to understand
that in trying to depict the true char
acter Cbigness) of the mountains that
they have undertaken,a. difficulty which
pigment is nlanifasltly incapable of do
ing. And here comes in very fitt.ngly
the remarks of MIR. Hanerton on that