New-York tribune., 1900-05-01
MUNICIPAL ART SOCIETY.
AT THE ANNUAL MEETING BY
ROYAL CORTISSOZ

The Num- ,ipal Ar Society. of New-York held its
annual meeting last evening in the rooms Of the
Architectural League of New-York No 2l5 West
tifty-seventh-st. The society received with graft
| hcaton favorable report from the committee ap-
pointed 10 take steps toward the erection of an
artstcally appropriate iagpo!e in City Hall Park
in place of the aagpole at present there. The
mittee reported that it had received assurances
both from the Mayor and the Controller that when
the proper steps were taken they would do all in
their power TO the authorize ton OF an ap-
preparation by the city TO pay for the pole.
The following were elected members OF the
Board OF Directors: Charles T. Barney Thomas
Tryon. George B Post Herbert Adams, Karl Bit
ter, Francis g Jores and c. Y. Turner.
The address OF the evening was an illustrated
lecture by Royal Cortissoz, of The Tribune on the
subject Of Municipal Art"
Mr.. Cortissoz, in his lecture, advocated common
sense in municipal art-a careful adaptation Of
actual conditions. He said there was less occasion
to worry over bad works of art than over the
superfcially promising enterprises which were un-
fitted to the geographical situation of New-York
picture OF the Place de la Concorde In Paris
was shown as an example Of what New-York
should avoid the city is too and crowded
for schemes which require broad spaces and large
monuments and fountains. The of thing we
could do was illustrated in a picture of the Cor
lears Hook public shelter. which the lecturer de-
clared beautiful in its way as picture or
statue, besides being a practical, useful thing,
needed by the city He added that there such
thlng as having too many public statues, and
cited London and Paris being overrun by them
picture OF a wrought iron fountain in Pra que
was put on the screen TO show that public foun-
tain could be made beautiful without the aid Of
statuary. Iron and bronze. according TO Mr. Cor
tissoz, could be used in many forms Of public
decoration. He showed picture of the memorial
gates at Harvard and proposed that similar gates
be put at the entrances to Central Park He also
advised the erection of bronze fagstafs like those
IN front OF ST. Marks In Venice and showed the
CGSiRQ a wi rhe piCfna Arr
ciety wishes to place before the City Hall A pho
tograph of the court of the Bargello, In Florence
showing carved shields the wall exhibited
and the lecturer suggested that the same idea
could be applied to New York. Continuing. he said
the NeW-York University is going to have IN
serbed on the walls of it's Hall OF Fame the names
sbe for those who design the inscriptions to take
their their, cue from those old Italian shields. They
a Dody IN each one medallion portrait Of the
buildings in new courthouses and postoffices and
so on, We might inside and out, put this idea to
good purpose. The fact is, there is end to the
things that can be done 10 make a city beautiful
tive in {Se When ~a9S 89 think hq bs ne @ 45 01 T are SO &
more money than We find It comparatively easy
across City Hail Park. how pleasant it Would be
II IL hanqs9me ran 6T9nTe pro- RAJ rsing simple but arstc
end of the big asphalt space that cuts the park in
fagstaffs substituted for them. When l pass Mad-
son square ana see the ordinary benches that are
might Just as we'll be there. Then there the
letter boxes and the street signs. and scores Of
other things. l haven't any doubt at all that the
foreigner who saw our city for the first time and
found all these things beautiful would think good
deal more of our municipal art than If ne found
statues and budings for his tmpTessions Of wRa
we could do. The big things will do credit
/ They've done this already, and they always will
| But you find the big things everywhere. I wish
that in York we might always be certain OF
the little things.
Mr.. Cortissoz paid cordial tribute TO the mural
painters OF America, who had formed a school he
said. and had placed it in the front rank but he
thought ii was mistake TO suppose that a public
building must always contain big wall deco
rations. He spoke of the Loggie in the Vatican.
ordination Of pictures the wall ara abesques
or line and color could be successful in paint
ing. and gave repose TO the eye. The lecturer
showed pictures OF the Sala del Cambio at Perugia
IN which the walls are not only adorned with
rrescoes by Perugino, but are partly covered with
! exquisite wood carvings and he asserted that If
the paintings were taken away the carvings would
! stnl make the room shrine for worshippers
from all over the world Closing ne reiterated tina
be believed in having large mural decorations and
| pubic monuments in the city, but not too many
! Of them, and urged the employment of architects
sculptors, painters. decorators, wood carvers and
iron workers on the making OF comparatively small
inexpensive and practical things for the decora on
/ of the city.