The Washington times., 1904-10-19
Americans and Art.

Other cities viii follow the fortunes
oil the Comparative Exhibition of
Native and Foreign Art" which is
now baiDg assembled by pubic-spirit-
ed collectors OF New York, with an
interest amounting to anxiety. The
purpose of the promoters is TO pre-
sent the best examples of landscape
painting done by nOn-AmeTicans ia
the last century, and to enter in com
petition with those works, on an equal
footing, the best paintings done by
American artists in the same period.
AS the New York Times" suggests;
The idea OF putting American paint
tnEs Co the test or the finest foreign
work procurable recalls Turner's desire
that his pictures should be hung be-
SIDE those or claude Lorraine. IL springs
from nrm belief that native art is
moderated by Americans as Wei as for
tIEuersr and 10 aims boldly at that
Lre1udice against pictures by Cur own
masters Whlc4l induces many collectors
10 avoid alt native work I'm their gal
lerles, one which prCcIces the surprising
condition IN some OF ir public museums
that American pictures are absent or
represented ny minor works inferior
eanvases by toreisuers having been pre-
ferred
This preference OF foreign painting
before the work Of our own country
men is not a theory. 1t is a hard, bit
ter fact. Whistler and Sargent. who
earned their way to the pinnacle OF
foreign favor, were given the esteem
OF their own countrymen only when
they had obtained the Endorsement
OF English and Continental collectors.
Augustus St. Gaudens and Daniel
Chester French have Jared better as
scuIptors. but it would be idle to con
tend that either one earned his Amer
lean prestige unaided by his success
es abroad. II seems impossible for
the cultured American-abundan
self-reliant in every other respect
&c trust his own judgment as TO pic
lures or sculpture. The dealer is
naturally quick TO perceive this and
trade upon it. and American artists.
unindorsed by other countries, have a
correspondence hard time TO sell
their works.
Unfair as the situation is. and un-
fortunate, it takes on a particularly
distressing aspect in view Of the
splendid progress made by American
artists in the past century. From
John TrumbuU and Gilbert Stuart TO
Edwin A Abbey and Abbott Thayer,
the whole corps has been moving for
ward steadily surely, and substan-
tally i is much to be douAted if
today the artists of England, France
or German. surpass the landscape
painting Of the American Inness. 1t is
certain that all three countries to-
gether cannot equal the work Of Sar-
gent, Whistler, and Abbey. The whole
field Of modern sculpture does not
present any truer art or greater
achievements-excepting alone the
work of the great Rodin-than that
OF Augustus ST. Gaudens, Daniel
French, Frederick AIacmonnies. Louis
p. Niehaus. J. Q. A. Ward. and
Partridge.
America need not fear the comDar-
isOn involved in this exhibit IN New
York. It's artists viii come out of il
with flying cOlors. It would be a
fine object lesson If these same paint
4ngs could be displayed in Washing
ton and other American cities, that
its teachings might bear new fruit
IL might even be that the National
Capital, with eyes readjusted 20 the
true standing OF American artists,
could thus be brought TO see the real
merit OF its own resident painters.