The Portland daily press., 1898-01-10
TALKED OF ART.
The Meeting of the WOmen's Literary
Union.

nyrra1 Dacoration of Five Centuries Ago,
And the Adornment of the Modern
schooIroom.
AT precisely o'clock yesterday after
mon at Pine street church, Mrs. Frank
b. Clark, president of the Union, called
the members to order to listen to the pro-
rramme on art. which Miss Iuez Blanch-
ard of the Monday club, Mrs. Ira S. Locke
of the A B Klass and Miss Helen NJ.
Pettss of the Ben Hur club, had in
charge. The platform of the church was
prettiIy decorated with pine boughs,
potted palms, and on the reading desk,
moved to one side, was a vase of pinks
and Chinese lilies. In introducing the
subject for the afternoon, Miss Blancharo
said that sbut one branch OF 1t wouId pe
touched upon, That of mural decora0loh'
as exelnplided in the PERIODS OF the
Renaissance, and of modern times. In
token of this. the photographs. chosen Tor
decoration above and below the platform,
were those OF the wonderful frescoes Vi
the world, by Michael Angelo, Raphael.
Leonardo da Vinci and others, as repre-
seDtinp the Renaissance, with only John
Sargents wonderful prophets OF the Dos
ton Library, as species of modern work. Q
The first number on the programme
was a vocal solo by Miss Clementine Var
ney, a charming young singer, with
sweet soprano voice, who gave an old
English song by Purcell, entitled
"Nymphs and Shepherds
This was followed by a paper on How
the Renaissance Treated One Division Of
Art" given by Mrs. Ira S. Locke of the
B G klass.
oIn the revival of art in the fourteeth
century" said Mrs. aLocke, 1--WE turn to
Italy for the most remarkable specimens
of work in this line-that of mural decora
ton"
The speaker explained something of the
technical process necessary to make these
frescoes adhere properly to the wall.
This work calls TOR a skilful and rapid
hand, but often the master had appren-
tees to assist him in mixing color, or
passing brushes. Michael Angelo, the
great, did it all for himself.
To Giotto is given the credit for intro
ducing q more beautiful tone in the art
of this century, by avoiding the influence
of the Byzantine school. Up to the mid
die OF the fifteenth century, Florence led
in art, but after that the Austrian,
Bolognese and Venetian schools eQualled
that of the Florence. Mrs. Locke spoke
of the beautiful frescos of Leonardo Ga
Winch Fra bartholomew, Carprlcclo'
Raphael, Boticelli and Pauld Veronese.
which will give pleasure to the Worldsfor
all time.
Miss Elizabeth King, then delighted
the audience with two selections OF old
English songs, elbow, Blow, Thou Win
ter Wind" DIR. Arne, ISthlcentury, and
Under the Greenwood Tree, !" from . AS
You Like It, - in both of which here rich
contralto voice rang out charmlngly.
Miss Blanchard said very pertinently IN
introducing Miss Pettes, that no matter
how old anything was, it was always
Inevitable that its expression would re-
appear. So in our times the wonderful
frescoes of our Congressional Library .and
the Boston Public Library, show the ten
dency of modern art OF which Miss Pettes
would tell the ladies.
Miss Pettes, whose enthusiasm for her
subject was most manifest, gave an IN
teresting account of the developments OF
some of the rich periods in artistic
work, when there lived Velasquez,
Boticelli, Angelo, Durer, Raphael, Bel
lini or Fra Angelica. She then spoke
with great enthusiasm of some of the
manifestations in our own time, as seen
in many beautiful buildings throughout
our land, in the wonderful court OF hon
Or at the Worlds Fair, and above ali in
the beautiful frescoes of Kenyon Cox,
John LIE Fargo, Veddar and the greatest
OF ALL John Sargent.
Miss King and Miss Narney gave
vocal duet, an imitation of ola English,
by Arthur Foote, Come live with me
and be nv love-" which vas charmingiy
rendered.
Mrs. Burnham then read her paper on
cart Influence in which she said that
each new age brought a new problem for
solution in the educational woria. IL IS
not many years since education was re-
garded as a Procrustean bed to which
child must be fitted, without any thought
of individual development. Mrs, Burnham
said that fortunately for the condition and
development of the children OF our day, the
Quito Ok in these matters is entirely differ
emit and the influence of the beautiful, as
exemplified in the arts of literature, mu
sic and art, is brought generally now
into the public schools.
Mrs Burnham spoke very strongly of
the result of this influence of the beauti-
full on the children of today, because in
the future they will be our builders in
the WOODS ana InarDles, our WOrk6rB IN
bronze and iron; our voters and legisla-
tors and we shall all be glad to think that
in these years to come our people will be
able to distinguish the true from the
faIse. the beautiful from the ugly. This
earnest woman has this subject so much
at heart. as testified by her conscientious
work on the school room decoration COM
mittee, that all who heard her, feel the
real spirit of enthusiasm, behind the rich
" spoken words.
Mrs. Clark resumed the chair at the
close of the meeting, simply ito read q
few notices and make an interesting an
nouncement. The secretary read the
minutes of the last meeting and also a
notice in which all those, interested in
the subject of parliamentary law were
invited to meet at Mrs. Osgood $, 46
Winter street, at 10 o'clock Tuesday morn
ing. Mrs Clark then announced that at
the extra delegates meeting, which was
called just before the present one, 1t was
decided to invite Miss Heloise Jersey OF
Boston to speak in this church on friday Friday
afternoon, February 18th, at O'Clock,
and to this lecture the members OF the
Union are each entitled to bring a friend,
sl-.4