The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-07-02

Boston, July 1.-Art students abound. A single American institute has more than 2.000 of them. Such cities as Boston, New York, Philadel- phia, Washington. St. Louis. Buffalo. San Francisco. Minneapolis. New Or Jeans and others have well attended schools of art. Withal the ateliers in Paris and in other European cities are 50 fllled with Americans that the students from other nations hardly know where to plant their easels. If American art does not eventually qualify as the greatest art of the twentieth century its failure will be ! the fault of the general conditions, and not of insuf'cient schooling.
 The question has often been raised whether the student had best carry on the necessary studies from start to finish abroad. or altogether in this country. or should begin his work here and complete 1t across the water. The safe and sane middle course. favoring division of the prospective artists time between America and Europe. Is the one commended by a distinguished American painter. Mir. Walter Gay. who by reason of his nationality. speaks competently from the American stand point, and yet, from the circumstance of his long residence in Paris. with thorough familiarity with art condi- tons there
 Mir Gay. who is is a member of the Societe Rationale des Beaux Arts, the Eociete des Amis du Louvre, the Munich Secession" and other organi- Eations, has for some years served as European correspondents of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and through his offices the institution in Copley Square has frequently secured opportunities to purchase important works of art. In another respect MT. Gay has been rem dering an extremely valuable service. for he has acted as director of the studies of the pupils of the School of the Museum who have been awarded prizes entitling them to residence in Europe.
 MT Gay. who has just left the United States after a brief visit, has been spec ially interested in the progress made by American schools of fine arts. Asked the familiar question. Should the young American who wants to become . painter or a sculptor go abroad or re- main in this country?" Mir. Gay re- piled: Both. I am not of those who believe that America as yet offers all the conditions requisite for the best training of a professional artist. We are too young a nation; our civilization in many respects Is as yet too crude. We are improving rapidly. as note on the occasion of each visit; yet 1t seems to me that to advise art students aginst going abroad at all, as I have sometimes heard done. Is ill-timed There is, necessarily, an art atmos- phere in European cities which Is still absent here. In order that the young artist may get his eyes opened he needs at least a brief period to study abroad.
 At the same time, from what I have seen of the work of the students in Paris and other European cities, be- lieve that every American student. un- less very exceptionally situated. would best remain here while acquiring the clements of his profession.
 we have an art that Is buoyant and positive. Some of the best painters and sculptors in the world are Ameri- cans, and many of the strongest Of these are instructors in our country. A student in this city. for example learns to draw and paint Tn the classes of men like Edmund C. Tarbell. Frank W. Ben son, Philip Hale, painters. or Bella Pratt, sculptor. to as good advantage as anywhere in the world.
 Tn European cities, and particularly fin Paris, there are difficulties which work very seriously against the begin ner. For one thing. young people from the Unred States do not come into close r'ss,Yon ship with the masters un- der whom they study. The distin- guished French artist makes his hur- ried rounds once or twice a week, glances at the work. says very rapidly. It Is good, or Tt is bad and passes on to the next In American art school classes, as have observed them, the instructors take a personal interest in what their pupils are doing, and in many cases become personally ac- quainted with them
 There is, furthermore, in such a school as the one at the Museum Tn Boston-and presume in other Ameri-