Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-22
A R T N O T Els.

Outdoor art IS as time goes by, attract
ing wider and more intelligent attention.
The landscape architect is being ranked
today with the landscape painter-the man
who builds pictures with living material
beside him who interprets them In paint.
The world seems to have awakened to
realization of the fact that art can neither
be put in a frame nor on a pedestal-that
II cannot be confined within the walls of
private homes nor public galleries. Our
municipal art and city improvement soci-
cites have done much toward fostering this
knowledge. They have waged active war
against public Indifference instituted sig
nificant comparisons and established good
precedents The ethical value of artistic
environment has been definitely demon
strated and individuals have become CO.
workers with the state.
Paris-always in the vanguard of this
movement-uses interesting and rather orig
inal methods to obtain these ends. She
puts a premium upon good buildings by
Offering, annually, prizes for the six best
facades erected within the twelve months.
renting for year the owners taxes and
delivering to each architect a medal; and
this summer, to further improve the ex-
ternal appearance of the city, she has Of
fered prizes and medals for the balconies
which by an expert jury are declared to
be most artistically decorated with flowers
and growing plants. Every Partisan apart
ment has its private balcony, and last year
a few of these were effectively deco
rated by an art society that the city became
aware Of their latent possibilities and de-
termined in this way to obtain the
operation of the people. The jury to make
the awards at the conclusion of the season
is composed of well-known architects and
artists-among whom, by the way, may be
named the great painter Besnard. The
scheme Is one which should commend itself
to other municipalities.
An outdoor picture gallery in the form Of
a large public park has recently been given
to the little city of WATERFOWL, N. Y. by
a public-sprited but anonymous donor 1t
covers 700 acres. and while readily access
slble, is splendidly situated on high land,
from which commanding views can be OBJ
tanned To the north and west lie the ST.
Lawrence and Lake Ontario: to the south
and east the Rutland hills and the Black
river valley. About 300 acres have already
been laid out in walks and driveways and
the entire work of adaptation and con-
struction has been intrusted to the firm of
Olmstead Brothers of Boston. than whom
there Is none more capable.
The municipal art commission of New
York, In connection with it's last annual re-
port, has compiled and published a complete
catalogue of the monumental structures
works of sculpture. memorials, oil paint
ings and other works of art owned by the
city, which should prove valuable not only
as record but as a guide to visitors and
students. 1t Is a comparatively simple mat
ter for a stranger to hunt out a public
gallery, but it is almost hopeless task to
find undrected the works of art with which
this catalogue deals.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has re-
ceived two interesting additions to Its col
] lection of American paintings-a landscape
| entitled Autumn" by Kruseman van
Elten, gift from his widow, and the late
| Alfred Q. Collins portrait of his wife,
| which was presented by a number of the
| artists friends. The latter Is a small but
| exceedingly notable canvas. Painted with
! severe simplicity, 1t displays at the same
| time both force and restraint. 1t is dis
| tincty unconventional, but perfectly SIN
| cere. and 1t carries with 1t not only con-
| yiction of mastery skill. but OF truthful
| Interpretation. In the great Portrait
| Show held in New York winter before
last 1t was one OF the most laudable OF the