The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-06-21
NORDAU ON ARTISTS
THE AUTHOR OF DISCRIMINATION
TALKS OF MODERN PAINTING.
Better Understa nding of His Opinions
of Whistler. BOnnat. Sargent,
Constant and the Great COrot.


Eagle.
For correspondents who are obliged to 60
to the salons year after year, distinguish
what each noted painter has done. whether
it be better or worse than last year. wheth-
er he continues his own manner or whether
he has taken his neighbours. whether he. at
last, went out of doors with his talent and
his palette, and, for a change, made up his
mind to paint where nature has placed his
subjects, and he has made a failure of IL:
all these observations. / say. at last. with
much repetition, become monotonous, and
become as CALLING for the novice to read as
the critic to write.
This year, therefore, concluded to go to
my neghbors to ask their opinion of pain
tiers and transmit ii to my readers. Come
to think of it, 1t would not be bad idea
for correspondents who write up the salons
to exchange papers once In while. Ii GER
tainly would be a change for the readers
and might renew their interest in a much
worn subject, for not only would they note
the difference of appreciation, but also
weigh the ability of one writer with that OF
another.
This could be done, provided the only
great critic. perhaps the only one who
deserves the name, does not enter the list
of those who are willing to exchange. for
he appears as a giant among an army of
dwarfs / will, most probably, in the pow
erty of my memory and language, render
in a very lame manner the few minutes Of
interview which DR.. Max Nordau has kind
ly given me with his ideas of modern
painters The most wonderful gifts that
nature can bestow are personal ideas and
the correct, flowing words to express them,
and DR.. Max Nordau is gifted with both.
What do you want me to tell you of.
lot of mountebanks VINO try to attract the
eye of the public with paintings that mean
absolutely nothing People do not want to
give their attention. they have something
else to give; they don't want to know how
Mr.. So-and-So paints; what efforts he has
made to destroy beautiful view as an
interesting likeness The great majority Ss;o , OF
thing to paint. but because they want to
attract attention. If one year they fail IN
their object they Will paint something more nor
after year they work to 'epater' the public
and make a wider breach between tnem-
ME: his object Is to have attention. AT one
time he may have tried to put color in Its
place; If he had painted your portrait he
would have made the cheeks red and the
eyes brown. but seeing that that drew no
attention. that the public did not exclaim
On. on looking at his canvas, the next
year. he would have the eyes red and the
Eyes, that is like writer's who fail to OBJ
tain a reading public with correct spelling,
and afterward manage to have readers pc
words all wrong. But do you not beneve
u ambition. in striving to become some
FROWNS ON AMBITION.
mo, not at all. Ambition is a bad in
centive. Ambition is only a selfish desire,
of ho
in view, amelioration in one way or in
another If writer writes because he has
something to say, all right: if painter is
anxious to teach us some OF the beauties
of nature that we fail to find out unless he
points them out to us. all right. III
painter, like Corot. for instance. rises be-
fore dawn, and with palette in hand stud
les the birth of light through the nascent
yerdure Of early spring. il he succeeds in
giving the silvery sheen OF the leaves
as they tremble with the awakening of mas
cent day. and knows how to people his
wonderful landscapes with a world that
you recognize as being the realization OF
your dreams, but that you have yourself
been unable to realize; If the painter has
given you one Of myriad effects of nature
which you would have been unable to ex-
perience, because you never would have
been able to find 1t out, then the painter
has done his work. Ambition never in
spires to do that kind of work; 1t is the
love of nature. of humanity. the capacity
of working on peculiar effect that makes
for a reputation: they produce only mounte-
banks, which the world would do very well
without
good painters are there not?'
Eyes. there are several whom respect
for their sincerity. Roll is one of them.
i'm their places; does nothing that is banal.
His La Musique' at this years salon is full
of life and good work. Carriere gave US
is charming; it is full of feeling; his show
Of human sentiment is true. sincere and
PERSONAL; he sees life as through dream.
troubled with the spirit of change and ex-
aggeration and his present work is not as
admirable as that Of few years ago. / adj
mire Harpignies, and some few canvases
belonging to CAIN.
What do you think of Bonnat?'
HE is cold. unsympathetic. Looking at
one sees that he does not care to study
them only insofar as to represent the
features. and make surface likeness. He
Is like poet laureate who has been or
dered to write poem upon a royal event;
he does it without the collaboration of his
SOUL and without the desire to put the
Bonnat can put feeling into his work IL the
spirit moves him. There is a crucifix of his
in one Of the court halls which is full OF
real sentiment"
What is your opinion of Benjamin Con-
stant?'
Benjamin Constant was good before he
went into the portrait business. Some of
his Oriental scenes are we'll rendered. / do
not allude to the blood-and-thunder pic
lures, In which his love OF color actuates
the blood of the slain lying promscuously
around. but some of his peaceful Oriental
scenes are admirable"
DO you anything in Roche crosse? -
INTERESTING BUT NOT GREAT.
"Yes. Rochegrosse is interesting. He re-
minds of the old Italian painters who
took the greatest pleasure in painting. He
loves his art. although one cannot say that
it is great art. Rochegrosse will never be-
come a great master: but he reminds me OF
the painters of the renaissance. who locked
themselves up in their studios and gave
themselves up TO painting because they
loved it. Did you notice in this years pic
ture In the salon "Babil d'oiseaux" the
gold ornamentation and other minor orna-
ments of the tableau? They are made with
so much elaboration. so much study, love OF
finish and work that / am sure he spent as
much time on them as on his chattering
| women. One feels that he loves 10 paint
and that time is no object i do not admire
his way Of painting the nude Not that
| do not admire the nude when done with a
sincere Intention of representing the beauti-
full, but ROchegroSse's nude women become
vulgar with all the transparent ornaments
with which he covers them 1t is an un-
wholesome manner of depicting the nude"
Let US turn to American painters. Wha;
| do you think of Whistler"
whistler is great He paints with SOU
| and great knowledge of color. You have