The Indianapolis journal., 1904-05-15

by Thomas Stanley
schools are sometimes credited in thel~
hours of ease. Some notable work is being
done by the pupils In the classes and
while few OF the students are perhaps A
little in advance OF their fellows in some
particular il is noteworthy that there Is
an evenness of excellence which places
the work of the school on a very high
pane. Miss Myrtle Hedrich. of Muncie.
does admirable work in line drawing ex-
ceiling in this particular Mr. Thomas
Stanley has a style of especial artistic
merit in his black and white work. and Miss
Ostraader, Miss Corinne Robinson and Miss
Helen Ford also draw particularly well.
Miss Maude Cooper eXcels in color work
/ and Miss Jessie Dye does particularly
artistic studies in still life. An art club
has been formed of students in the classes.
anu meetings are held at intervals at the
homes of the students. When more ade-
quate accommodations are made at the
school the meetings of the clubs will proba-
| bly, be held there.
Apart from the classes there is much in
| terest to be found in a visit 10 the Heron
| institute. The indianapolis public is grow
| ing accustomed to the fact that il has an
| art gallery with permanent collection OF
| notable pictures, and the additional at
| traction of frequent special exhibits. and
| there are few days that do not witness
| number Of visitors TO the institute The
open Sunday afternoons find the institute
especially popular. The first few Sunday
afternoons that the institute was opened
| TO the public the number OF visitors was
comparatively small, but the increase has
been steady, and a few Sundays ago the
| number of visitors 10 the rooms included
| several hundred people. The time is es-
pecially favorable for people who are occu-
pied through the week. though the Sunday
visitors include also any number of people
| who like TO drop in at odd moments TO have
! a glimpse of their favorite pictures.
I The recent exhibit of the wonderful pic
lures by Howard Pyle was an especially
popular one and drew an unwonted number
| Of; visitors TO the institute. The number Of
| schools which visited the exhibit was par
| ticularly large, the teachers, realizing ;he
| educational value OF the exhibit, bringing
| their little fiocks to see IL. Sometimes the
| little fiocks more than the Pyle pic
lures though, and that was not always
| relished by the teachers. One funny little
| incident, witnessed by an outsider one after
nSon' was the visit OF school In charge
| of a dainty, modest, girlish little teacher.
In spite of the ever widening conception OF
| art, the girl evidently retained much OF
| the spirit of Puritanism, which matched
her appearance, and one was prepared for
her horror when she entered one OF the
west rooms into which group OF her pupils
had preceded her and found them clustered
before the immense painting THE Kiss of
| the Siren" which almost covers one wall.
The beautiful young woman in the picture
| is clad only in sea waves and ever since its
purchase by the Art Association there have
been two views TO its beauty and worth
| taken by patrons and visitors. This par
ticular young woman took one OF the views
instantly and immutably. Her cheeks
| famed a vivid scarlet. She few across the
| room, interposed herself between the chill
dren and the obnoxious picture, and spread
out her skirts with both hands "Oh, shoo-
| shoe, children: go across the room. / want
| TO show you something" She spent as 1T
ties time as possible in the room, watch
ing nervously TO see that none OF her flock
| approached the forbidden fruit again. and
| then she led them out into the next room.
At the end OF their survey there she ap-
preached the janitor appeaiinSly: rs there
| some way / can get the children out Of here
| without taking them through that room
| where there is picture of IA young
| lacy-in the water?" she said.
THE NUDE IN ART.
Probably there will always be two opin-
ions as to the value of the nude in art;
but there can be no more than one opinion
as to the best way to treat it when occa-
sion demands that it be confronted. The
| later visit of a school under a man teacher
illustrates the fact He brought the bevy
Of children before the canvas, told them all
| he knew Of the picture, the painter, and OF
the legend which the picture illustrated,
| and promised that when they returned 10
school he would read them the poem OF
'"rhe Lorelei." AS a consequences the little
flock accepted the picture in a matter-of-
course way, and there were no curious
| glances across the room or from the door
| way afterwards.
A pretty but somewhat pathetic little in
cicant that illustrates the spread OF the
| institutes influence happened one after
| noon not long ago. A gloomy day had set
| tied down into late afternoon and peltins
rain Up the winding path under the drip
ping trees came a small white-haired boy
of seven or so, under a huge umbrella that
glistened with a long soaking. 81 want 10
see the pretty pitchers" he said as he vas
met at the door. The dripping umbrella
was taken from him and set in the stand.
anc for an hour or the little muddy
shoes pattered through the rooms or halted
before the pictures that the small owner
liked best Just before his departure small
| towhead fell into conversation with one OF
the Jan.tors. And do you know" said me
man afterwards. that little fellow tramped
all the way from Merrill street here oy
himself, because one OF his little playmate
had told him about the pictures his
teacher had brought him here 10 see.
The Sargent portrait OF James Whtcomo
Riley. which is owned by the Art Associa-
tlo- but Is now In the Sargent collection al
the St. Louis exposition, comes In Tor A
good deal OF comment from visitors. A
painter of note who was recently visitor
IN Indianapolis expressed his belief that the
portrait is a wonderful piece OF work. but
that Indianapolis people did not half ap,
presiate IT, His opinion would be confirmed
lf ne fingered long In the vicinity or the
portraits for about half the comments are
unfavorable and wholly Phiiistine in char
acttr. Three women who came in together
not long ago and who appeared TO be from
out OF town, took in the entire institute
and all the pictures and finally halted before
the much-talked-about Sargent canvas
They viewed IL from near and they viewed
IL from afar, and not until they had also
viewed IL from all the intervening points
did they make any comment Finally ths
moving spirit of the group surveyed tn
portrait at nose-length. then straiehtenec
nersen Snd shut up her glasses with