The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-07-08

the Highest Art-SuEjcctive Pic.
lures Greater Than the Objective
To those who know the charming loca-
ton of his home Anacostia Heights. il
is not at all surprising that the artist
Messer, should make much of skies and
paint them so attractively. The Messer
house satisfies the scriptural injunction, for
it is built upon a hill where it cannot be
hid. In the hot weather of last week II
the torrid streets of Washington hugging
each other so closely. They look snug and
comfortable enough when there is frost in
the air, but when the thermometer gets up
into the COS, one signs for house on a
hilltop in the suburbs, where there is
plenty of elbow room and cool breezes blow
through sheltering trees.
One or two figures perhaps could till the
acres of land in this little estate of Artist
Messer but there are not enough figures
in the whole arithmetic to tell of his
| acres OF sky.
| This hill rises several hundred feet
obove the picturesque truck gardens which
here border the Eastern Branch, and pos
| sesses one of the most beautiful and COM
prehensive views of Washington to be
found in the whole District The more ia
| miliar Arlington view is setter, for I'M
questionably that is the finest viewpoint
| about Washington. The composition is
more satisfying-a painter would say-for
there is certain perfection of proportion
and balance impaired to it by particular
location in the picture Of the three great
white structures the Capitol, the Monu-
ment. and the Library. This fine arrange
ment is peculiar to Arlington alone. No
city in Europe or America that l have
| seen may be observed to such splendid ad-
vantage from one point
| 1t must be remembered that when one has
to turn his eyes from one direction the
view is no longer single picture, but one
| OF many. Only one picture can be painted
on \ single canvas or give complete artis-
tic enjoyment. Crowd it with the attrac-
tons one has TO turn his head to see, and
| 1t becomes cyclorama, or panorama and
| art which Is panoramical is not the high
| est art, but in panoramic views Is often
| found the material out OF which great
painters weave those undying things which
are at once the truest prescriptions of ma
ture and immortal poems as WELL that
the intelligent eye may read without
troubling 10 turn over the leaves.
| Therein is the charm of the Messer
| view at Arlington there is only one COM
| position, but great one, of its kind. 1t
| is comprehensive, artistic, unequaled. and
| complete. The Monument being less dis
tant than the Capitol and other struct-
1 gains m and
| cupies almost the centre of the view. To
| the right on the hill rising out of car
pet of green velvet-white, stately and
| beautiful as Tai Mahal, rises the Capitol,
and back of It, massive but most mod
estly, does the LIBRARY support It's gran
| deur.
From the Capitol to the Monument
stretches the Mall. green and beautiful.
Out of this rise the picturesque Smith
sonian Buildings. To the left of the
| Monument is our ''Campanili''-the
| PostofIiee Tower. The Star Building
near by adds an attractive, new note of
| white, then follow other fine structures
| into the varied shades of red and yellow
and producing vibrating tone, which,
| with the violet air is almost iridescent
| This is the characteristic color cities built
| largely of brick always wear when seen
! from distance and ii is a color ever be-
| loved of artists from Turner and Monet
| to the lesser men.
This beautiful tone Is broken when ii
reaches the Treasury where that building
stands out like a miniature Greek temple
grey and old. The White House framed
| in green, and the State, War, and Navy
Departments Building are the limit Of the
picture on this side. To the extreme right
lies the river and the stretches of the Po-
tomac shore toward Alexandria. The fore
ground is broken by fine strip of water
in whose peaceful mirror may sometimes
be seen reflected the Monument and the
| Capitol. Beyond the city lies the Anacos-
| tia hills In the pale atmosphere these
| hills seem but a band Of lavender ribbon,
stretched along the horizon for the single
purpose of making an artistic harmonious,
and entirely captivating background for
| this picture Of the most beautiful city
in the world.
From a hammock on the Messer piazza
one may lie and build castles and pictures
In the air. From dawn till twilight there
is continuous performance OF atmospher-
ic and landscape effects which can never
grow tiresome for two reasons: First, be-
cause the air Is never morotonous. for
rarely are effects repeat there. and Sec
ond because the city frpm this point makes
no such single composition as 1t does from
Arlington. One is not lost in contempla-
ton of the whole. 1t is the inexpressible
itself picture, or n motive or passage
that may be combined with other things
and makes the true subjective picture |
which will ever remain greater one than |
the purely objective picture.
The new school calls for qualities" not |
things" II is the personality of the man |
which makes his picture interesting, and |
not the fact that he was fortunate enough |
to plant his easel before some famous view, |
or historic spot. while his competitor was |
forced to interpret the humble bit of ma
ture near his own door.
/ do not recall production by Messer |
wherein the Capitol and the Monument |
occupied more than a minor or incidental |
part, but there Is always present in his |
pictures that Astounding love OF nature and |
comprehension of those finer things which
are reserved for the elect. A man must be |
a master to paint landscape as profoundly |
this artist does. Those heights he
strives TO reach cost the labor, mental en-
ergy, and patience that might have yield
ed him fortune had he been content with
a merely popular commercial picture which
anyone might understand and praise. No
Messer is student and Is satisfied with
the approval of those who know
His method is one not calculated to Gre
ate succession of hits. There is great
depth, mystery. and poetic charm in his
best work. That he is uneven is only
proof that he is in earnest and without
fear. Fifty years from now some of his
landscapes will be studied enthusiastically.
while many another painter who cared
more for technique and pleasing the great