The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-12-16
SOME OF THE NEW BOOKS
a History of American Art.

There has been much written in a gen
eral, disoursive and critical way concern
ing particular features or phases of Amer
lean art and many American artists have
been written about individually, but the
present work is the first attempt to treat
the subject as an entirety and to trace the
development of American art from its ear
lest beginning to present times. "A His
tory of American Art by Sadakichi Hart
man. is a valuable contribution not only to
the special field to which it belongs, but to
American literature, for beside rare famil-
iarity with American art and artists the
author shows a degree of literary culture
attractive to general readers. The first
chapter in the book, which consists of two
volumes of liberal size, treats of American
art before 1928" In this chapter one learns
how the earliest American painters of
nOte-COpley, Trumbull, Peale and Allston-
got their inspiration and start The Amer
lean artist in the latter part of the eight
eenth century had rough road 10 travel.
Most of them were travelling artists" who
went forth over the country, painting por-
traits or sign boards, decorations for stage
coaches and fire engines or whatever else
they could find to do for practice and liv-
ing. Yet all four of those above named
lived TO become famous in England, and
Benjamin West not only became a personal
friend of the King who almost exclusively
employed him as his historical painter from
100 until 1902, but he succeeded Sir Joshua
Reynolds In the presidentship or the Royal
Academy In ll92. Other artists treated or
In this chapter are Gilbert Stuart, one OF
the greatest portrait painters of modern
times, who painted three portraits OF
George Washington; Thomas Sully, John
Nanderlyn, Washington Allston and others
OF the early masters. The chapter con-
cludes The art of few nations can boast
of having possessed al the very start one
most remarkable
times and countries, and to have produced,
in regard TO proportion and symmetry OF
form and composition, gravity and dignity
IN motive and conception one of the best
nudes ever painted" The last allusion is to
NanderlynS "Ariadne of NaXos," of which
the author says in another place. 1T is in
my opinion the best nude this country has
ever produced" Successive chapters treat
of Our Landscape Painters" THE Old
School. The New School, American
lean Art in Europe" and --latest Phases"
In these chapters the author treats not only
OF painters and sculptors but of engravers
tiers many familiar names of recent times
and of the present. But the author is not
greatly enamored of present-day art. He
thinks ii leads to superfciality and frivol-
ity. Our art of to-day" he concludes,
lacks young people who. with competent.
finished work realize the new ideas they
strive for. Studies alone are not sufficient.
We must have more thinking painters like
Hunt and Fuller, like InniS, Martin, Thay-
er, Homer, Dewing and TryOn; like Whis-
tier and Sargent and St Gaudens; men to
whom the American Nation owes a debt Ii
can never repay, not only because they
were insensible to mercenary temptations
and faithfully accomplished the ideals of
their youth, but because their genius
proved powerful enough to struggle against
the Indifference Of a whole nation, and thus
bequeathed to us in this very era of COM
mercialiSm a proud and self-reliant native
art The book shows remarkable knowl-
edge of all departments of art and is en-
bellished by many beautiful engravings. 1t
is published by L. c. Page & Co., Boston,
in Art Lovers Series.