The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-27
NEW YORK ART DEALINGS.
Why 1t Is that Lovers of American
Art Want Duty on Art.
W York Commercial Advertiser.

New York Commercial Advertiser.
New York is undoubtedly good market
are sold here to one American picture, -
remarked an independent art critic the
other other day, day :. Why is this? Because the
and because the dealer can make more
money out of foreign pictures.
All important picture dealers in New
the critic, where they pick up small pie
lures by young men of talent cheap,
% or 100 francs apiece, perhaps They ger
American picture would cost, and sell them
to the American public for three or four
times what they paid
why is the American artist thus at the
dealers mercy? Because this is the most
commercial city in the world, and because
the artist has not the same means of reach
ing the public that he has in European cit
les. The influence of the press is nothing
like what it is, for instance in Paris. One
article in the Figaro, such as Octave Mir
beau bestowed upon Maeterlinck, is sufti-
what would one article-what would ten ar
ticles-accomplish? Nothing. Because we
nave too many public critics, and among
make his verdict vital The American artist
therefore, must choose between the dealer
and personal appeal to his public.
But the dealer, as has been shown gen.
orally prefers to foster appreciation for Eu-
ropean art, for there is as much manage
ment IN the art business as in the dramatic.
invest in the pictures of young men of tall
emit; depend upon that.
His methods are these: He manages his
man as an impreSariO manages q musical
star He advertises him, he makes a repu-
tation for him. and then he has an easy
harvest. When he has accumulated little
stock of pictures by the notoriety-eect he
issues a catalogue-this is in Paris or in
Munich-printed in French, German and
Italian. He understands how to attract the
attention of the public, to interest the crit
les, and then, if his protege has talent, his
reputation is assured.
1T was thus that foreign firm with a
branch in this city exploited Michel whom
they described as the teacher of the Barbi-
ION school. Michels by the dozen were
brought over here and sold. Most of the
good ones are now owned in America. An!
the dealer understands how to impress the
public, above all the American public. He
lets it be known that he has in his gallery
something new, a pearl of price,. a wonder
full picture by the rising star Of the mo-
ment. You go to see the picture. He takes
you aside and shows you first the insurance
policy. Then he opens his safe, carefully
arranges the canvas on an easel, with a rev.
erent gesture withdraWs it's covering--et lie
VOLTA! To refuse to appreciate such a pre-
clouS object would argue you a b1rbaria9.
Then there is another way of advertis-
ing the pictures of European painter, es-
pecially If he be portrait painter, and
that is to bring him over in person. This
is the personal appeal, and it takes i'm
mensely with the American public. They
go to the exhibition of the foreign artists
a probability that they may see the artist
himself, and he gets orders for more por-
traits.
"T}ut there is one thing-the art dealer
takes care to bring over only painter who
has already some reputation among Amer
leans, who has already some portraits of
Americans painted abroad to exhibit. The
dealer knows his fashionable public, and
the orders flow in.
"a curious point here is that the for
eigner is sure to be accused of insulting the
intelligence Of the American public by turn
ing out inferior work. Well, perhaps this
is not professional jealousy. 1t may be
that the atmosphere of America-the low
barometric conditions admitted to prevail
in art circles-have a bad effect on i'm
ported talent. 1t is perhaps to escape
something of this sort, some deteriorating
influence. thai so much native talent pre-
fers to dwell abroad.
"As for those American artists who re-
main here, they have sometimes bad
time of it in competition with the flood of
imported pictures. 1t is for this reason
that almost every serious artist and critic
wishes to see the duty of 800 imposed on
foreign pictures. This would keep out the
cheap pictures on which the dealers make
such enormous profits, but would not inter
fere with anything more important, and it
civ toll oh