The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-06-09
Nature May Not Always
Be Taken as She is.
True Art is the Beautiful Express
sion of Thought. Sound,
Form of Color.

On Thursday evening d. Howard
ture on Art before the members of the
KilOhana Art League:
In reading a quaint old book some
time ago | found an Introductory para
graph that seems so apt | take pleas
ure in giving it here. The introduction
began somewhat thus:
There are those who have formed
their associations on their own theo
ries or hypothesis, and not on that
which exists and can be observed or
fairly inferred from actual observation.
Hence, they reprove but they do not
reform; they lecture, but they do not
instruct; | profess not to teach; l can
only point out to others the way in
which / fiatter myself that l obtained
instruction, aye, and some of that NOR
al self-confidence that poises man
erect in his position let the wind of the
world blow as it lists
Not then in the guiSe of lecturer do
[ come before you, but to give, if pos
sible, a point or two that may be in
atructive to those who may be engaged
N art work, and perhaps interesting to
all.
If in the course of my ramblingS |
become too abstruse, deal too much
with the abstract, it is to be hoped you
Will bear patiently with me, for this is
2 new role in which | appear before
you this evening.
You came here to listen to what |
have to say about Art. At once we are
dealing with a subject that is almost as
elusive as a o'-the-wiSp-a some
thing that simply is-and that all our
petty strivings to elucidate changes
not nor alters-talk as we will, write
as we wish-aye, point as we may
Derchance, we may even touch her
Art will endure all this and be effected
motor she is above it ala mistress
at whose feet her votaries too often
pour out ill-SavOred offerings
If | trespass too deeply tonight my
may have acquired.
True art culture takes one away
from the common places of mere cir
cumstance, placing him on a higher
plane from which the enjoyment of the
senses is lost in aesthetic pleasure
be it from the sense of sound or of
beauty in color, form or line More
practical in expression what l would
say is:
In pictorial art the cultivation of the
sense of the beautiful leads one beyond
the interest in a painting or decora-
ton simply because of its being the
representation of an object or spot
with which one is familiar.
The beauty of expression, perhaps
merely of color, the sense of power or
sweetness, or peace, or whatever senti-
ment he has expressed in his work
and the perfection of the skill shown
in losing sight of the means to the
end is the true artists jOy-the essence
of what he would give to his handi
work
"The desire to see, for the sake of
seeing, is, with the mess, above the
one to be gratified hence the delight in
detail
The JOY of the Philistine and the
death Of Art. But the artist asks not
always of what is the painting repre-
sentation. His one thought being-is
it perfect picture For illustration:
Suppose l paint a study of orange
and grey-taking as the basis Of my
color scheme a snOw-scene at sunset
and find that an accent is needed near
the center of the canvas. | introduce
as that accent hgure IN DIdcK WIN
red shawl. To me it has its value as a
necessary point in my color scheme
and I ask no further why it is there
although. probably the interest to the
average observer would be centered on
that figure, particularly should I name
the picture. THE lost waif," or 'Trot-
ty Dimple on her wanderings," either
of which appelation would be entirely
erroneo cons. My one idea having been
the presentation of color as suggested
by snow at shutdown.
Art is not always Nature, no more