The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-06-09

is Nature always Art. and here l shall
quote from Whistler, because he has
expressed in clearer terms that which
would tell. He says:
Nature contains the elements in
color and form. of all pictures. as the
Keyboard contains the notes of all mu-
sic. But the artist is born TO pick and
choose and group with science these
elements that the result may be beau
tlful, as the musician gathers his notes
and forms his chords until he brings
out from chaos glorious harmony.
Ito say to the painter that Nature is
TO be taken as she is, is to say to the
player that he may sit on the piano
That Nature is always right is an
assertion artistically as untrue as il is
one whose truth is universally taken
for granted.
Mature is rarely ever right to such
an extent even that it almost might
be said that Nature is usually wrong:
that is TO say-the conditions of things
that shall bring about the perfection of
harmony worthy a picture is rare and
not common at all.
Seldom does Nature succeed in pro-
ducing a perfect picture"
And thus we find the beginner dis
covering Joy in the multiplicitv of de-
tail in his work and the uninitiated
Wanting an limitation" of Nature in
the face of Art, because of that which
| causes the unwashed to walk where
angels dare not tread
The artist is Natures servant but
not her slave. His is the power to take
from Nature that which most appeals
to his artistic sense and in his own
| mastery to arrange, place and harmo-
niZe into a perfect whole the elements
she gives so bountifully.
In the restricted lines of the
draughtsman or colorist, limited to
the surface to be decorated, true Art
is to fill that surface, be it with masses
of glowing color, hues of sweetest har-
mony or lines of purest simplicity.
1t is one of the facts of an artists
development that he passes this a pc
riod of painfully accurate following.
in slavish imitation, of the scene or OBJ
ject before him, putting in every house
or tree that comes within the range of
his picture and counting each individu-
al window or branch that none be lost.
never asking himself if the balance
and unity of the whole demand such
a thing
This is shown in some of Corot's
earlier work, which is as hard and dry
as bone, and about as uninteresting.
q
that called for these painful window
rcountings, or at least go to modify
them that, should the picture be of
homely cottage nesting among the her
bage. one took no thought of how
many windows might or might not be
shown in the picture, they became a
minor part of a perfect whole
The student--and we all are students
to the ends too apt in attempting to
picture some object or thought that
tickles his fancy. to stick too literally
to the facts before him, making a pho
tographic illustration of his subject,
putting in an inharmonious line be-
cause he fancies be sees it before him.
introducing or emphasizing a part that
conflicts with the whole simply because
it happens to be there, losing sight Of
the fact that his is the power to select
and choose. and that his one object i'm
life is to create masterpiece of har-
mony out of whatever material comes
before him.
I have been asked to give some prac-
teal points that might be helpful to
those interested in Art-be it as work
ers or connoiseurs.
In reproducing on canvas whatever
subject the artist may choose, it is his
province to tell his story with those
lOuCHeS THAI DeSI EXPRESS his lued, Sc
lecting and choosing and arranging,
not always as Nature arranges, but
with the mastery of his knowledge and
the Art that is in him.
The all important points of beauty
of line balance of masses and harmo-
ny of color must not be sacrificed to
the too literal telling of a story or de-
pictation of a subject in all it's photo
graphic 1iteraIity. Tho if the story be
told or the subject shown and these
points still be retained, Art will have
been married to utility and both the
Aesthetic and Publican touched.
Take a rose, paint that rose-truly-
give it's beauty of color, not forgetting
its particular form nor the charming
character it's petals have of nesting