Arizona republican., 1901-02-04
ART NOTES
3v Carolne Benedtct rrowbridge,) ]

that I would Ind nothing to paint"
 in this vicinity: that there was only the desert with Its sage brush and cac-
 tus; it's weird and ugly masses of red rocks: few struggling and unartistic
 mountains In the distance, but noth-
 ing really worth painting.
 On the contrary. I have found a great deal that Is both interesting and valuable from an artistic standpoint.
 In the first place. the desert Itself
 Is particularly interesting. It Is of the coloring that Corot, the greatest of
 French landscape painters. loved so
 we'll Land. sage brush and cactus are
 all of harmonious tints and are es-
 pecially fine against the evening sky.
 Sunset effects here are magnificent and rarely equalled. The desert under
 moonlight Is very soft. mystical and
 fascinating.
 If one likes meadow scenes. the al- falfa fields present most satisfactory
 pictuie; the green of the alfalfa Miiig especially beautiful tint. and one that
 harinonlzes perfectly with the intense
 blue of the sky. There Is a peculiar
 brilllancy in the blue of the Arizona
 Shy Ntidl udSC nCVCI 6SNit S4u0tSos except by the sky in the west of Maine.
 As to trees, the cottonwood ls very
 picturesque, and valuable accessory
 to the Phoenix laIds,a2,. It Is pity
 1t Is being so ruthlessiy destroyed.
 The umbrellas are too stiff and round
 to be picturesque in themselves. but
 they are a good color, and seen down
 the vista of an avenue, with mountains
 in the distance, they make pretty plc-
 ture. The pepper tree is very graceful
 and artistic and makes pleasing foil
 to the umbrella.
 I might extend these specifications
 indefinitely. but enough has been said
 to justify my belief in the artistic pos-
 abilities of Phoenix.
 s&s @ Tn painting from nature, especially still life, 1t Is most important to
 choose worthy subject. The painting of barn door with stable utensils
 hanging upon 1t, may be 8 skillful and correct piece of work, but 1t is not ar- tistic, because the objects themselves are not artistic or worthy of being per-
 petuated. All still life painting Is useful, chiefly to train the eye and hand. It is as easy to study some thing beautiful itself as to select some thing that Is only valuable because It Is difficult to represent. To this end, flower painting will be found most sat- isfactory. Nowhere is there more beauty and variety of form and color than among the flowers. But if one
 imagines he has come to the end of az,,,a.. ,Sainttcrr y,ano,,ca ha boo made one study of each flower he had best begin all over again. Paul De Long,
 pre- has been painting flowers all his life, but If he had many more lives to live he would sti1l find new combina- ticGs of form and color. This master of flower painting Is untiring in his devotion to the study of flowers, and , his work shows no falling off In either
 composition or color.
 In painting from nature, success de- pends as much upon persistent. hard work as upon socalled talent" Of course this statement does not apply to
 those great painters whom God has created masters of art, from thier birth,
 but to the great rank and file of art students, who take up the study of art i because they have leaning towards it and perhaps more or less ability. or
 course a student Is fortunate if he IS
 equipped with ''natural talent" but
 talent is so often handicapped by lazi-
 ness that it does not count for much
 in the end. The patient. hard-working plodder often outdistances the genius Constant. hard, every day study and
 work brings the best results. as in every other branch of industry.
 Many persons have an idea that un- less one is especially gifted, 1t Is not worth while to study painting. Why
 should not training in art be considered ! as necessary as training in music! | In nearly every household training in music is insisted upon, and the child is forced to practice at the piano. no 1 matter now painful 1t may be to him, or to his heapers. He may become great player or a great composer
 and he may not. But he will learn many things that 1t would have been
 impossible for him to understapd
 without that study.
 | So In art, the child should be trained | to draw and paint, whether he shows especial talent or not. He may at least | learn to appreciate good picture and I to discover beauties in nature that he
 would never have seen without artistic training. And when he has learned
 these things he has learned a great deal | for these are some of the things that l make life worth living.
 think the best results in art train- l ing are obtained by the study of draw | ing color. By this mean to draw and color the object at the same time; if possible to draw with the brush. so much the better. There is fascination and inspiration in color. and one does better what one enjoys doing.
 It may be because effects are ob- | tained more quickly but there Is no pleasure in art work equal to full palette and flowing brush. Of course elementary training in severe black and white work is good discipline, but | 1t is not always fascinating.
 Etchers find a great charm In their | work, but many of our best illustra- |! tors make their studies in color.
 | The best way to teach a pupil how to paint any given object is not to- tell
 him anything about 1t, but to let him paint 1t as he sees 1t. It Is time enough
 to tell him what he did not see. after l he has done his best. If he follows