The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-01-22
AMERICAS SCHOOL OF ART
FRED HOVEY ALLEN SAYS TT Is
-r NO LONGER Il MERE
FICTION
1T Is Distinctive, He Says, and Is
# Rising to q Greatness That Must
Ultimately Command the Worlds
Admiration.

Frederick Hovey Allen completed his
series of lectures on modern art last
evening at the Peoples church before
the largest audience he has addressed
in this city. He spoke last night on
American Art" and to the majority
of those who have attended the series
1t was, probably, the most interesting
of any of his lectures. For he spoke Of
the modern artists with whom nearly
all present had at least a slight &C
quaintance. He showed scenes, bits of
landscape and historic paintings that
were familiar to the majority, and he
aroused patriotic pride by asserting
that, in spite of the dispara ging COM
ments of foreigners, America has
school Of artists of it's own, not merely
painters, who, while claiming America
for their birthplace, have spent their
lives in foreign lands. That there are
a number of these latter, however, Mr..
Allen admitted, and the first pictures
thrown on the screen were the repre-
sentative works of some of these -
Whistler, whose weird treatment Of
his subjects has made him the cyno-
sure of all eyes IN the world of art:
Arthur Bridgeman, pronounced by
Mr. Allen the strongest figure painter
of America; knight and Edwin Abbey.
known as the American court paint
Ct, though he prefers TO 1--we IN Tor.
eign lands; Edwin Weeks, noted for
his Oriental paintings and his scenes
from Tangiers and Morocco. Although
to most people, perhaps, Edwin Abbey
is best known from his mural decora-
tons, especially his series of pictures
illustrating THE Holy Grail in the
Boston public library, Mr.. Allen oon-
siders Abbey a failure as a mural
painter. The lecturer said he consid-
cred it an evidence of poor taste that
illustrations from The Holy Grail
should have been selected for the
mural decorations of an American in
stitution such as the Boston public Ii
brary when there We're so many stir
ring American themes that would have
been far more appropriate.
IF there is any special school of dis
tinctfve American art" said Mr.. Allen
sit is that of the landscape painters
The influence of the French school has
been so strong as to almost crush out
any purely American traits Even af-
ter the artist has returned from his
studies abroad and has settled down
to paint his own home scenes the
French influence still betrays ITSELF"
Mr.. Allen paid a delicate compliment
to the West by throwing on the screen
the picture of a Minneapolis artist.
president of the school OF Fine Arts in
MINNEAPOLIS. A view of Mr.. Kochler's
picture, THE Strike was also given.
This picture now hangs in the Mime
apolis public library. But one woman
was mentioned last evening in the list
of modern American painters That
was Sarah B. Dobsen. Mr.. Allen said
that he contemplated in the near future
the preparation Of lecture to be en-
titled American Women in Art" in
which he assured the audience the
American women artists would be done
full justice.
All in all 1t was an interesting and
entertaining lecture with It's peeps into
famous studios. its glinlpses of great
artists, its pictures of marine views,
animals bits of landscape. ideal heads,
beautiful figures, for the American ar,
fist Is as cosmopolitan In his choice Of