The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-06-03

wv WVNHN w VEfNVlNIE VINWN
Hisa
'rako ths matter ~ tho forty carnegie
Wbratles n he huilt IN Manhattan Natur.
ally ~ Thought II would he tho saaiest
thing Nv tho world to lhduce the trustees
Ia agrep to a resolution NJ tho Municipal
Art Society that n SUM not sSreeding 4
per cent. ~ the cost ~ each lhtety ~
SSrn, should be puS aside for suitable interior
wall decorations commemorative events
talslLnA "a lts locality.
The suggestion WAS cordially approved
and then turned down on the plea that thu
trustees had no funds 10 spend on deccra-
lions, a. tho cost Of the bulldogs promised
TO absorb tho whole appropriation,
"Thcn the committee discussed plans 20
raise money by subscription and 10 con-
o%ontrate lis efforts on the decoration Of n
few libraries, but II soon became perfectly
clear that nothing could he done with the
Carnegie libraries In Manhattan.
There Ia some hope for tho Brooklyn
Carnegie libraries, though, several Of the
trustees expressing u Willingness 10 save
out enough from the general building fund
for decorations for at least Ave or six Of tho
inore important branches.
Another straw Of hope which has lately
blown our way IL the decision Of those In
charge Of the Second Naval Battalion
armory in South Brooklyn under advice
from our COMMITTEES to decorate five of it's
division rooms with two largo mural paint
ings each, the paintings to portray various
celebrated events Of the navy.
BUSINESS CALLS ON ART.
tho Board Of Education has permitted
the Municipal Art Society to invite COM
petition for a pair Of historical paintings
to decorate the side walls Of the main en-
trance OF the Morris High School In The
Bronx. The competition closed this week
and probably the work will be well under
way by next winter.
The paintings are, of course, a gift from
this society. which, by the way, intends
to appropriate a certain sum every year to
be spent In a work Of art for the beautifying
Of the city.
1T is an interesting fact that the buildings
dedicated TO money making purposes are
away ahead of the buildings built by the
city, In artistic decorations. Some of the
hotels, for instance, nave employed artists
Of note to paint historical and ~allegorioal
scenes of great beauty in their lobbies and
banquet halls.
Theatres and tailor and millinery estab-
lishments spend large sums often In deoorat-
ing the interior and exterior Of their prem
ises. On the contrary the City Fathers
who are supposed to be able to catch the ear
of the people at any and all times, generally
refuse to lift a hand to free New York from
the o%pprobrium of utter oommercialism
earned by her indifference to the function
Of art In civic life.
MABBLE SLABS INSTEAD OF MURAL PAINTINGS
Take, for instance, the Hall Of Records.
One hundred thousand dollars was appro-
priated to decorate this fine building, for
which the best mural painters Of the country
submitted, without charge to the city. care
fully prepared schemes Of decoration for
walls and ceilings worthy Of our wealth and
civic greatness, our artistic progress and
our history, all of which were pushed aside
by the Board Of Estimate In favor of I'M
meaning slabs Of marble of no particular
beauty.
That's the official attitude toward the
question OF decorating public buildings,
explained in part by the inability Of the aver
age official to see other han the selfish
motive in any memorial or plea by artists
or to overcome the suspicion that most
art societies are organized for the purpose
of securing jobs and plums for their mem
bers.
A BOSTON
THE Municipal Art Society, being
composed principally Of laymen, can there
fore exercise, and does exercise, a stronger
influence than any professional society in
breaking down the barrier to artistic progress.
The committee will continue to put out strong
efforts to make available a permissive APP
pro priation by the city under the laws Of
1900 Of $50, 900 annually for artistic purpose s,
and which 80 far the Board of Airport ion
ment has never ventured to make even in
part.
This sum would go far toward the en-
Enlistment Of important buildings like
the City Hall, the great public library,
the prospective ferry terminals, Police
Headquarters and others buildings which
in any European city Of second or third
rank would be decorated with the finest
paintings, statues, ~reliefs, &c.
Boston, with one-sixth the population
of New York, has made her public library
a subject of civic pride and delight, the
Congressional Library in Washington has
attracted universal attention and general
admiration; but strangers come to this
IN magnificent metropolis to find that the
highest municipal ideal Of artistic beauty
seems to be slabs OF costly marble. M
yet this city abounds In highly trained
painters and sculptors.'
EDUCATION FOR PUBLIC TASTE.
'Ho W are the eyes Of the public to be
opened, how is the public taste to be edu-
oated?"
well, a plan of action we have arranged
for the coming season includes, first, an
exhibition of mural and ~soulptural deco
rative art, given in the early fall, which
shall include both historic examples and
modern American work; second, a course
Of free lectures at the National Arts Club
on the great mural decorations of the world,
and a series Of three with lantern slides
illustrations on European and American
decorative painting and sculpture.
Between now and the annual meet
ing Of the society next April members OF
the commit tee are to collect information
of work in pro gress on contemplated o
completed in the line OF mural painting
and decorative sculpture in this city, SO
that a full record may be given to the public
at that time
A GO BETWEEN THE GRUNTS.