Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-07-06
ART IN AMERICA.
1t Has Freshness and SeIf-Reliance
and VIII Hold It's Own.


| Written for The Evening Star
| Maynard, the owner of the Paris FL
caro-" lately deceased, said to me last
year, talking Of American art: Americans
| have no art of their own, and I strictly
deny the possibility of their artistic de-
velopment; they lack tradition
| "Since the Chicago worlds fair that
fable has been exploded 1 answered.
| American art possesses all the merits of
| youth. 1t has the advantage of ingenious
| freshness and pronounced self-relance. 1t
is undeniable that early American artists
| like Fuller, Jarvis McEntee and others,
| were under the absolute influence of early
| English art and reminiscent of that. But
what of Innes, Tryon, Harrison and many
| others? They are strictly original.
The last fifteen years undeniably have
| shown the influence of the French school
| and teachings. At the annual exhibitions
| held In New York, Boston and other places
| one could at a glance recognize a pupil of
Gerome, Carolus Duran, Bastien-Lepage
and other French masters. Notwithstand-
| ing this paintings by American artists do
| not impress one as French art.
And even American artists living as resi-
| dents in Paris retained individuality and
| national character. Fortunate it is for
| American art that our artists do not take
| hold of the eXaggerations of the modern
| French school. neither socialistic nor an
| archstic; nor is fin de steele art known TO
| u.s. The good sense of American artists is
| opposed to blatant sensationalism, and the
| few exceptions are not recognized as art
| lists by the fraternity; they are members of
| a freak dime museum stock company, and
| stand alone.
| Henry Rochefort, in one of the best re-
| views of the last Paris salon, says, in the
| Figaro: THE end of this century is a
| generation of freaks in art and not worthy
| of serious critic. The productions of Clarin
| and benjamin Constant, that people rush
| are wanting in that which constitutes life;
are fiat. dull, and as If pasted on canvas.
| One would imagine these men have never
| seen a NelaSQueZ, q Rembrandt. Van
| Dyke. The inlpressonist painters appear
| to be seeking for a sensational speciality,
| which they will never find, and, by astound-
ing exagserations, only. hamper the tai
| ents OF some robust painters. French SUI
| periority of painting is on the wane, and
| before this century ends Americans will
| have eclipsed U.s.
A Shattered Idol.
| Look at the great Paintings in the Salon
| and Champs de Mars of this year and you
| will find every word confirmed. Let us
| commence with the great Puvis de Che
| vannes. who had an exhibition in New York
blast winter. His picture in the Champs de
Mars, 1.-THE Inspired MUSES. Haiiing the
Lights Pending Genius" represents a pat
| tern design landscape with dreary and
| faded plains, showing in the distance an
ultra-marne blue sea, while out of a fall
| leaf colored sky, from cottony clouds, are
| flying toward a meaningless and uninterest-
| ing nude youth the figures of rine women,
each holding an Edison electric lamp in
| her hand! And that is called high art and
| pronounced great by fame worshipers.
| These figures are hanging, as If held by
| invisible wires. expecting to be trained for
| flying. Yet this is the least fault. The
| great objection is that he tries to paint
story consisting Of wild distractions, and
| represents the worst features of modern
art, the art Of painting entirely from men,
| CRY.