The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-01-08
IRELAND'S ART REVIVAL.
STEPS TO FOUND 4 NATIONAL
GALLERY IN DUBLIN.
Part Of the Great stats Forbes Collection
Onered-Other Pictures Promised or
~ccured-Enect II Would Have Gu
Irish trt--Hclp Needed From America,

DUBLIN. Dec. 20-There Is a chance e
do Ireland a service True that Is not III,
newest Of news and least OF all can il b,
news 10 any one of Irish blood. For Of al
the chances that may possibly befall IN,
men and women of Irish blood. wherever
they may be. the most certain Is the ohauc,
of doing Ireland service
But Is II always definite service. some
thing of a clearly beneficial naturef Otter
they are not unwilling TO take that chance
too. They come OF fearless. generous
race, whose sympathies are quick ano
strong, Yet for tho preliminary salts.
faction OF all who like to look before they
leap it shall be stated that this article con
Germs definite service and one chat Is
Enthusiastically beneficial not 70 any par
uculRr set OF individuals, but TO the Irish
! nation and its descendants in the first place
and in the second place to tho intellectual
world at large--to civilization. in fact.
! And IL would indeed be singular pre-
sumption 10 assume that any aspect OF
the cause Of civilization Is devoid of interest
10 the readers OF The Sun.
Perhaps this preamble may seem a dis
| propordonate introduction to a scheme
relating for the moment to picture gallery,
but thls detail is merely a beginning. a
part Of whole, And. IL you come TO
think of it. pictures ara really rather i'm
portant things good pictures.
Probably il is not always Recognised that
the arts are tho flowers Of nations life;
nor yet that the arts. like other flowers.
will not grow unless the ground DO suited
to them And though the ground be suit
able, other conditions may be adverse Is
not Erin the greenest. the fairest. the proud
est isle Of the sea7 You may read it in a
thousand poems sprung from the very
hearts of her children. How comes IL,
then, that this deep. tine feeling has found
in Ireland 80 little expression in pictorial
artY
Once upon time-it is a thousand years
ago Ireland was leader in he arts. Then
it was not alone the magic of her singers,
but the living faith and genius Of those
who built her churches. the admirable
skill of those who wrought and placed
within the churches splendid metal shrines,
the fertile brains and cunning fingers Of
her craftsmen and designers and the dainty
handiwork Of patient, clustered monks
and nuns who set out ancient lore on snowy
yellum. amid regal blazoniug Of crimson,
gold and azure In these arts Ireland led
the whole of western Europe-once upon
time
Now, it is from these arts illumination
and design that painting naturally de-
yelops: and in Ireland thew We're moving
steadily toward their perfect form, when.
in the twelfth century, to bring and leave
a Legacy Of unrest. came tho Anglo Norman
INVASION The ants leed l,eace and settled
life.
Ere on, centurr OF that mt i had gone
by the beautifui arts OF Ireland had
Ni.he1ed away The development Of
great and ancient tradition was checked
and Irish painting, such as II 49, has per
force grown up as an ofshoo, Of the schools
of other nations The ground was suitable.
but thu flowers were nipped in the bud.
The conditions became adverse. and re-
manned so.
Thus il il not surprising to find thar nova
days the Irish painters are scattered all
over the face of the earth. You often do
not know-they often do not realize them
selves-that they belong to Ireland. They
have 10 centre. no rallying point, no com
mon tradition.
Last summer a notable collection OF pict-
ures representing the work Of Irish paint
era-a collection originally destined for ST.
Louis-was shown at the London Guildhall;
and. as pointed out in THE Sun of July II,
this exhibition furnished abundant evil
dence Of the high artistic capacity OF the
Irish race Although the development Of
national school Of painting in Ireland was
frustrated, the talent which might have
formed it persisted, and people visiting this
exhibition were surprised 10 learn how
many well known painters Of the present
time are really OF Irish birth or blood
To mention only three Instances instead
Of a score there II j. j shannon, an as
-ociate Of the Royal Academy and one Of
the best known portrait painters of the day.
He IL Of American birth but OF Irish blood
The same Is true Of Mark Fisher, the well
known landscapist, born in Boston. Then
there is John Iavery, h. S. A., vice-presi-
dent OF that international society which
had rs it, president Whistler. John I-avery
is world famous. Some of the public gall
leries posses sing examples OF his work are
those Of Paris. Berlin. Philadelphia. Pitts
burg. brussels. Venice, Munich. Glasgow
and New South Wales.
This painter, perhaps because he studied
in Glasgow. as well AZ in London and Paris.
ia commonly thought to be Scottish. Even
THg Sun, in referring recently TO his work
at the Autumn Salon in Paris. called him
tho Scotchman. John Lavery.' Yet this
same John Lavery was bonn in Belfast in
1867
The fact Is, Of course that hitherto there
has been no proper opportunity for the
Irish art student to develop in his own
country: therefore naturally. he is apt
to wander away and become identified
with some other people
Now. however IL l. desired to remedy
this state Of thing and al who have fol-
lowed the recent intellectual movement In
ireland will understand that the pre>en.
time j. propitious For the Information Of
Others. the following extract from an article
in the Dublin Daily Express may bc given.
The writer Is }. b. Yeats. Il. ii. A.. father Of
the poet and playwright ". Il. cats and
The ART iclo is only one of many tina; could be
quoted. an showing that these opinions
are common 10 the iradcns Of culture;
Changes ar" approaching from an sides.
and the wide world l. dreaming Of things 20
oome People nre 1ucIrg op' thrt leisure
10 br happy with rcnner cut neanc and the
treasure m the mind. u tettrr Than tho
fierce struggles NJ wealthy commerce Strange
air- Gre stirring in the atmosphere, 1nd ciyi.
lizqtior is shifting it> point n Wow