New-York tribune., 1909-06-02
4RT AND HUMAN N4TURE
An dddrcSs by' Royal Cortissoa at
the Yale 4rt School.

New Haven, June 1.-The annual commence
ment exercises Of the Art School Of Yale Uni
versity were held this evening. The address
was delivered by Royal Cortissoz. who spoke on
Art and Human Nature" He explained that
In choosing this subject his purpose was to
bring out the practical significance of art
intensely human product: not the work of derni-
gods. but the work. in all ages. Of men very like
ourselves, ministering to the pleasure of their
fellows.
He chose for his first type Leonardo da Vinci
saying that this master a bout whom quantities
of metaphysical dthyrambs had been written,
had a genius alike for the subtlest imaginative
art and for everyday practical matters. He
drew a picture OF Leonardo II his workshop
among his apprentices. anecdoticaIly illustrating
the masters human sympathes He also re-
called the artists scientific interests and his
characteristics rs an inventor of portable
bridges. bombs and other instruments of war.
Ieonardo's breadth of spirit which placed him
In perfect harmony with all the social elements
Of his time, was then exhibited reacting upon
his art and making him the more successful In
everything that he undertook lie could paint
the Mona Lisa" and the Last supper and he
could also design a piece OF formal decoration.
such as the ceiling Of interlared boughs and
LEAKAGE in the old Castillo at Milan. which in
recent times has been carried out in accordance
with his plan.
Mr.. Cortssoz compared the art Of the painter
who IS comparatively Indifferent To human
nature with that OF the painter who lives In
constant sympathetic contact with IT. contrast
ing the dlagramnatic compositions of Perugino
with the much frecr and more lfelike works OF
Titan. He compared also the classical style or
Nantegna whose art was formed under the in
fuence OF ancient sculpture. with the superb
realism OF Velasquez. and. aking OF the in
Iigb pFd Don
master he laid stress upon the fact that this
secret I'm the art of painting was not worked
out in a laboratory but discovered as Nelasqnez
worked among his fellow men. making pictures
Of familiar types in the streets OF Seville. Al
luding to the fact that painters and teachers OF
painting have always insisted upon the depend
ence Of art on nature. Mr.. Cortissoz said that
his purpose was 10 ampify that maxim saying;
What l am driving is not simply nature but
human nature the element in life that means the
sympathy Of the heart and brain not 3 9n!y f tlIf
the artist as an artist. agree with me can
imagine MIN tak.ie b ,n 6ern to talk about
the and the brain In art the agtiSI ISL lS t ~
a picture of domestic sentiment picture uao a.
tSt IeS a 81 81 tbe sort I only want him to do what
Whistler. the last man in the world 70 care sI LT[
painted S Su%Fy be said saw picturesque grandeur
and noble dignity in the Jews quarter OF AiSeeT re
@ dam crneks @aG Preciseiy Rembrandt was willing
id TO Jrus' he % painted II not simply so much
nctiyreso,ey pantable material but as the i World
ne ne bsef II is Incredible that Rembrandt should
have been only dspasslosase $40 no deep and living
petimnathv between him and his models his pictures
ySomtd never have had such extraordinary Xltai
itT They would not be what they are; RECORDS e TI
humanity full 81 character and Of pathos' as wen
as beautiful pieces OF painting
Emphass was placed by Mr.. Cortissoz on tne
fact that the old masters who in the opinion OF
hOvr n
tors like Velasquez Rembrandt Halls ana no
18th were invariably Interested in human
nature and he cited examples from modern ART
such as MiIlet and Degas. Speaking OF inc
modern tendency to exploit technique for ltS
own sake and to paint modern figures as so
much still life" Mr.. Cortissoz said:
This confirmed the sqpeTstton that f has 5ps Pesn
tremendously effective IN oyIf II - 81 IoSern life IS
MOI on the whole. at all rich IN paintaoe malerlal.
A sculptor Will tell you that the frock .,n GOAT anu
trousers OF our own e mn P Pis "a sFree with him
amar a man of genius gets to work! Did the cos
tnIne matter when Augustus St. Gaudens made his
~ incoin for Chicago? the same in painting
The man who knows how Is % never ,it IN me fTaI 1T
troubled by any element of so-gaIied , IN ~
his material. He takes what he hnds at ms door
snd interests himself in it Let us turn TO TWO 3l
the greatest technicans OF IousIn 49, % les
gian Alfred Stevens and 10 the frehch DesoH'
Wen Wen M I;yed We're wearing weirdest
and most wonderful fashions the dTessmakerr rh mas
eIer devised 1t did not matter 70 stevens, Ihey
We're the fashions of his day, and he painted them,
~ I1oes not matter to because he painted them
ieantIfilIly Degas provides similar case. Wheh
he was Young and under the influence OF Ingres ne
resisted the temptation TO enulate tne tI ecret
scists ideas He was content to pursue the secFee I
- Ingres' wonderful craftsmanship. and, for thee
u uaet he would place his gifts at the service OF
modern life.
The address closed with an earnest plea for
art created IN the full current of the artists
own epoch with a sympathy for human nature
as well with soicitude for technique ana
Iov- 1f bean