The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-02
The Artistic Faculty.

| recent article in "Scribner's Maya
zine" commenting on the tendency of spe-
cialization to hamper the artistic faculty.
| contains some rather interesting observa-
lions. The writer says:
There is no full life, in any craitsmanlike
| sense, without ceaseless, and. as nearly as pos
| sible, untrammeled experimentation; and by this
same announcement, by this grasping IN new di-
! rectiuns. the craftsman inevitably comes 10 be
something different from what he was before, and
| frequently to wish to do somewhat different
things.
There must. in brief he a certain huidity
i'll the movement onward Of any genius, any
talent. And it is to this that the present fash
ion of specialization within a specially offers SO
many obstacles. II it had been known, before
his last visit to America, that Paderewskis style
OF Interpretation had-as was plainly the case
passed into 4 new stage, that it had shade less
Of the emotional poetry that had come TO he his
accepted hue OF specialization in piano playing,
the musical adopts might have been more than
ever eager TO hear him, that they might study
and understand the causes and problems OF the
change. but the concert public perhaps would
have been secretly inclined to -lay away. For
the public looks to every artist TO give II the
exact specially that ii has come TO associate with
his name. Granted that the speciality commonly
represents the best OF which the artist is capa-
BILE. it is nevertheless loss 10 nm 10 ne TOO
rigidy held to the same. The esthetic instinct,
# need not be forgotten, is founded primarily on
the love of play. clever child, with expanding
faculties, varies his play infinitely An artist
has the same impulses. Failure may tnnkapy
attend soma of his side ventures, but II those
ventures sp ing from the honest and honorable
desire TO te. his strength and his artistic weap-
ons. and not from the wish merely TO sirlke
into new path because popular favor blows
that way failure should not be accounted 10
him as disgrace. Specialsm has become
necessity of our scientific age; but in so lar as
il causes the multitude to erect barriers that ar
rest the light hearted evolution OF powerful gifts,
il has Individually the drawbacks Of its advan-
tages, at least where the arts are concerned. II
is not easy TO suggest a remedy, but the point
is worth pondering.
The proverb, Let the shoemaker stick
to his last" is all right for a shoemaker,
as a rule, but it is very bad for an artist.
The artists work depends upon his being
fully developed man, especially If his
work be creative. If it depends partly,
or wholly. upon his power of interpreta-
ton. he is perhaps right to make himself
narrow. to see only the one end in view
and eschew most other occupations, de-
sires. and interests. Even in the work of
his power is likely to be
greater if he is a great nan than If he
is mere automaton.
The public demands that the artist who
has creative genius shall stick to the
particular line in which he made his rep
utation. If he be a great man, however.
or II he have even the glimmerings and |
aspirations of greatness, he will be UNI
able to do this He may have made his |
fame a humorist; inevitably sooner or |
later he will attempt some serious work. |
Perhaps the most remarkable instance |
II this, in recent years. was du Maurier. |
The person who should have predicted |
hat the well-known artist and humorist |
IF Punch" could write serious novel |
would have been laughed at. Yet he did |
write Peter Ibbetson,' and then, after
he moderate success which that novel |
made. he wrote "Trilby.'' The public |
Jailed to discern that the former novel, |
INTO which he put his heart and soul, was
greater than the latter; but there was
,nough genius in "Trilby'' to make it the
ak of two continents. Would that have
If there had been an Unbound |
aw compelling the artist to stick to his
'encil?
1t is for the intelligent people of the
this country is a particu-
arly heinous sinner in the line of nom
ppreciauon, or wrong understanding of
N art-to combat the false theory that |
n artist cannot be allowed tn, liberty of
developing himself according TO the law
Il his nature. whatever that may be. It
$ for them TO welcome new things. great
hings, beautiful things-to set the fash
on, not to follow it.