The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-11-06
SORRY
Not to Have
Classes
ARE ART STUDENTS.
That Portrait Order Muse
um Classes-Art Notes.

ment, many members of the Art Stu |
dents Club feel keenly the loss of the |
annual gift from the st. Wuistan So
ciety, which has made sketch classes |
under the guidance of an instructor,
possible. The students realize that in
way the museum is a child Of the
st. Wulstan Society, and has a right
to such financial support as it can
give; but the absence of the gift this
year will make a class well nigh inn
possible, unless money comes from
some unseen source, which is highly
improbable, and may lead to the dis
Dandment of the club. The club has
had hard row to hoe for many years
and 1t may honestly be said to have
Kept alive the germ of art interest in
the city for long time. To be sure,
the Art Society has done its part but
4 the seni-annual exhibitions Of the Art
students Club have really been all the
art exhibitions the city has had pre-
Ylous to the museum agitation which
came just before Mr.. Salisburys gen
erous gift. There has been money
enough paid into the club treasury to
pay rent and few minor expenses, /
/ put nothing more. Classes were held
/ IL
and really noticeable work was done
until the money was contributed to
| provide an instructor. The impetus
given the club by the gift was re-
markable. At the time the money
came interest was at a low ebb and
the membership rapidly falling off I'M
medlately after the announcement Of
the gltt and the securing Ct an in
structor for classes, there were large
additions to membership, and the two
years which followed We're among the
most prosperous and profitable in the
clubs history.
The city needs classes at the museum
put 1t also needs classes at the club,
The first VIII supply the demands of
chose VINO are making a study of art
Tor definite purpose and the latter
will be suited for workers who are in
terested in art, but who have little
/ time to spare from other duties to de-
vote to its study. For this latter class
OF people the clubs classes were most
admirably suited, Then besides. the
city needs students club in order
mat It's members may be brought into
contact with each other.
4 The opportunity for seeing ones
work with that of other workers from
time to time, is of great value. The
social functions have their place in
keeping the members in touch with
each other, and encouraging visits to
each others studios, where helpful
talks are sure to follow
For 90 in annual dues the c1ub hos
been able, through the gift of the ST
Wulstan Society, to give it's members
instruction during the winter in a we'll
lighted and roomy studio. splendiIIv
suited for class work, not to mention
additional things of value such as the
use or the club room at any time and
he. ffcs
| TONS and social functions. The muse
UNI classes will hardly be able to give
as much for the same figure, and while
/ Its classes VIII be suited to those who
/ are making diligent study of art,
they will hardly fill the gap for many
workers in the Art Students cub.
The support given by the honoraries
has kept the club alive, for the active
/ workers hardly number more that so.
/ If the club could devise some means to
4 increase its revenue, its future life
/ would be assured. Social affairs of diff
4 ferent sorts might be provided which.
4 no doubt, would receive the financial
support of all art lovers and would
bring in money to supply the needed
/ instructor; but the experience of the
/ past has shown the club to be at a loss
4 to raise money outside of that secured
/ from the dues of members The pic
ture auction last winter was a financial
success and goodly sum was raised
/ by it. Other things of that nature
might prove a source of revenue to the
treasury. 1t is certainly to be hoped
that the club will be continued. for.
with the increased local art interest.
there is additional need for it, and it's
future should not have the hardships
of the past.
The order calling for an. appropria-
Tn
of eX-nayors, is dead, very much so.
The action of the committee in voting
"lneXpedient to act'' in the matter was
unanimous, and the recommendation
viii no doubt pass in concurrence with
out murmur The artists feel that
by the action, the city has emphatically
denied its support to local art workers
and they feel bit unkind They say
that the city was not willing to even
give them a trial to seeaaWhat the local
artists could do; but was content to
accept the opinion of a few that they
were only a lot of "daubers." From
the beginning the agitation has been
forced 1t has been conducted largely
on the lines that each picture was to
cost a hundred dollars, no more, and
that that was too cheap for an oil
painting. The question of merit has
not been discussed. 1t has been taken
for granted that nothing artistic could
be done fol- a hundred dollars, and, be-
sides, nobody proposed to attempt to
find out. The order may have been inn
properly drawn. In the first place,
as long as the portraits were to hang
in a public building, it was only reason
able to demand that a competent COM
mission, not of local art authorities, but
of out-of-town and disinterested art
lists, be selected to judge the pictures
The commissions should have been
"a understanding
was unfortunate that it was necessary
to fix the sum to be paid. That detail
should also have been left to compe-
tent persons. If the order had been
prepared in this form, it would
undoubtedly have passed. Such an
order ought to follow. The city can
well afford to pay for artistic portraits
pay what is right; but when it
takes such a step, there is no reason
why local painters should not be given
a chance, provided they are willing to
do work subject to the approval of
competent commission. No one who
has the interests of art at heart wants
to see the city hall filed with a lot of
dad" pictures. But good things"
was all that could be expected, owing
to the fact that the portraits would
nearly all have to be painted from Pho
tographs A few might be copied and
a number painted from life; but the
majority would have to be done after
the regular portrait formula, and it is
a serious question in the minds of
many if real work of art, one that
should hang in museum as an exam
pie fer students to follow, can be pro-
duced in this way. This class of por-
traits are, as rule, unsatisfactory
from an artistic standpoint but they
are suitable and fitting, and for the