The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-21

WHERE are defenders of war who' as
 one of their arguments in its favor, 4 say: "What pity it would be to deurive art and artists of the opportunity to paint heroes and battle scenes. one ol their most prolific sources of insplraton would then be taken from them So many beautiful canvases have ben painted With war as a subject that 1t would amount 'o a sin to seal this source forever!
 As if the subject made the artist, ana nor the opposite 1T one wants to use art as an argument 1t is equally enlclent TOT and against One artist will depict patele scenes to arouse enthusiasm ana aorlira- tion, while another paints them to ex- press his horror, and to awake the ieeiihs of horror in others.
 Until lately painters have painted war mostly to glorify it, and immeasuraple are the yards of canvas which have been used to decorate royal palaces and museums with painted chronicles of patriotic Vic- tories on the battlefield Not always have these painting originated in enthusiasm; many, very many of them have been made to order.
 Very seldom has the artist himself been present when a fortress was taken at the point of a bayonet by heroic com mander, astride a milk-whte steed, way ing his sword and calling to his men:
  the person who looks at such picture to keep from shouting 'Hurrah!'
 In most cases the painter has heard or the scene. If it ever happened. from some soldier, who most likely, in the tur- mol of battle, did not see 1t either.
 The most powerful of painters who painted war to arouse indignation against 1t was Verestchagin, and he had seen 1t himself He had seen how the popeS would wave their incense burners over the mutilated bodies on the battlefield; he once on his way saw the heap Of human skulls which inspired him to paint his famous picture, the pyramid of skulls, which he called the "Apotheosis of War, anu under which he wrote the lines Of aedication: ITO all conquerors of the past present and future"
 He had left home again to see his foe War, at work, and tear the mask from his face once more. He went aboard the first battleship which went out to meet the Japanese, but this time War got the upper hand, and the ship which carried Verestchagin was blown up by a mne
 What he would have seen during that war would have surpassed anything he mad ever seen before.
 Nrestchagin was not to paint these horrors, but another great artist, Leond Andrepen, has painted them in words in his book. ''The Read Laughter" a title which embodies in itself the two charac- teristica of war-blood and mania.
 Every new thought of importance creates it's own art. The thought of abolishing war is still young The paint ings preaching against war, therefore, are no. many, but as the peace idea grows their numbers will increase.
 The methods of these painted ser mons and the realistic unveiling of the horrors as done by the late Russian ar tist probably the most impressive. but orly as done by this modern painter, who lets the onlooker SC the sorrow which he himself felt.
 The paintings of former days filled with victims. on racks, on gallows. and at the stake, are unjustly classified with those tha. oppose war, because their creators enjoyed all these horrors, did probably also the medieval people for whom they were painted.
 Paintings like these do not fight against war-which to both artists and public appeared inevitable and necessary. The scul of the artist must have been filled with the idea of peace and must not De strange to those who look at the paintings in order that battle scese ful of horrors may preach against war.
 More plainly those painting are speak inng which illustrate not an event but thought Thus breaches the painting showing the Savior. mourning those who have lost their lives for the sake of the hristain faith. One almost seems to hear hun say: And this is what they made or my teachings of love-
 Also those paintings preach against war which leave war out and only glori- fy or prophecy peace-as the youth who Iorges a plowshare from a sword, or angel spiking the last cannon, or cannon in which the birds are building their nests.
 There lives today a very prominent ar a.ist whose numerous paintings against war have been greatly admired Ten Kate 1t his name and he lives in Holland.
 During the last years the number of paintings preaching against war has steadily increased and new ones are ap bearing almost daily. During the last world s fair at Milan l saw. not in the