New-York tribune., 1909-05-13
ADVANCEMENT OF ART
FEDERATION ORGANIZED.
Nr. Cortissoz Urges Common Sense
IN Decoration and Craftsmanship.

IN Decoration and Craftsmanship.
washington. May 12.-The American Federation
- Arts was formally organized to-day by the
s5option Of constitution The object OF the
~-se-a+ion is the amalgamation Of institutions and
.,,zs+ions for the advancement OF art and the
,1-vation of public taste 1t is provided that the
ta6o7,arters Of the federation shall be in Wash
i~,on and that annual meetings shall be held
here. ,, -.
- session Charles l. Hutchinson. president of
.bs chicago Art Institute and vice-president Of the
National Academy Of Art, presided.
A~,onr the papers read was one by Royal Cor
..-,z of The New-York Tribune. He made a
80 r3ea for better decorative work, urging that
.stesd Of aiming at something big, such as huge
-,,rral rainting or equestrian statue beautiful
Intentional decorations should be the object MI
Cortissoz said:
The purpose Of this convention is nothing if not
nrartical A national federation of art societies
4 useless if il does not increase the everyday
81 tbese proceedings. l take it. is that we want
more art in this country ana we wan want II 10 P%e %
bef+er and litter every year. VIII we get II
h dreaming dreams? Yes, but We'll get it quicker
II We also use common sense. We are supposed to
have iot S5 q. , ~ ~ o1,fiI1 its xerciSe 70 what
Ne csT the practical affairs Of life and 10 think OF
the aTIIsl - tbings and leaving common
creauLs ~ ,1si,,ass foiL ontsida? We 90 further
than that. When we talk Of giving the artist some
thing tc DO. something apart from the painting OF
of his doing something monumental ana on ule
whole. rather costly. We are building new state
house or a city hall and we decide TO deco
rate il on an heroic scale. We 60 TO one OF our
noted mural painters ana we pay MN iollld sun sun
10 produce large allegoriCal composition which
All very fne and desirable No one in his senses
could regret this movement which Is doing SO
much To adorn public buildings; no one could
res s tbaf # We cannot afford an heroic decoration
go TIar fs often The casa-we should conpro-
mise on less ambitious We do not do so
Of our buildings lack the beauty that painters
might add 10 them, and large number OF our our
thev are competent TO do.
LESSONS FROM THE PAST.
It is worth while to reflect for moment on the
lesson be drawn here from the past In the
more Than any other is rich in lessons for Us. the
artists and the public or private persons who en-
not regard mural decoration as necessarily an af-
Iei O Oh 'lt slailu Sae Ihey knew
that very oI1eh II was WlseSt 10 et II mean moth
ing more than small panel and often, too, they
filing given space with strictly pictorial deco
ration They filled II instead with dainty ara
ornament. And the greatest artists of those days
schemes. Raphael who made those stupendous
decorations in the Vatican designed also the
same building one Of the most bea1tfu G II things is
the world Leonardo, who could paint the Mona
leafage for ceiling in the Castillo at Milan. Now.
pie of that time? We have happily begun TO do
Tsn THF @ 1E , Is one aTIst IN tRs counJry, James
But there still remains much to be done in de-
Tnonsrating 10 the people Of the United States that
ms kino OF decoration Is desira hle because II
: as artistic. ss the monument kind. That is
cannot sPe2d m 5000 on large symbolical decora
courtroom let Us spend $500 on the simple decora-
esques here and there. and 1et us make that eco
raton worth while by getting artist do II.
way Of thinking that there is NOTING befvaa fEa
1zc0v
tor and the commonplace stencil of the journeynan
cf course any number Of interesting and and
1II1lng e1ecis TO be deyeloped between those two
make practical use Of the modest opportunities that
ereryNhere 10 be found ''-'' -
As it is with painting so it is with sculpture We
sTe fond OF erecting statues in public squares
We set GOOD many Of them every year in front
selves It splendid thing tfat we sbod do
s1S out what Of our architectural sculpture gen
Gotta which may not be Individuality SO conspicGous
Importance to the beauty OF a building? T.not
aTotha @ you u any city, and kou viii see that even
ne.s this work IS without any special chafacter
We Do nor 1,ss sItlSIc c value Why Is il? Because
nor on ele rehuy Kept busy statues Why does il
e ,6ese oetals. In the Renaissance such work vas
palace at I-rf5e 70 t Se 9q1r1eynan Go into the old
vii sa SsaeT 5 p : hundred buildings in Italy You
caIsT an sST eoor frames and mantelpieces that were
Of the te-r, by artists in the fullest sense
The American who is building p go-geo,,s ,,o,,s.
for himself thinks robf7e- s d so' geous mouse
FOR mantepieoe ex3Tac3sg5 y3Sg % paving large sum
palaces Why has he not the courage Ia TeT his
sTchltect 10 get hold Of some voIng scu1toT and ND
a15 ne l"2 o1 them TO put their heads together
msnteiTiaSo MN I'm a work Of art in the shape of a
1,onls 'l-s-e pi of q door frame2 And here again I
Ou.Q point out that there are many opportilnties
xfs.ra .S 1sS OF sculpture lying between the great
me Piazza OF 81. Mark at Venice there are threa
TeS5Io@ @ls : SCI upon bronze pedestaIs. in
tstIe IS nothing artistic than those
Leopard modelled What viiIaFe in 1h Tnf
,Lo. Is Wlthout its Flagstaff. and how often is
Tnal nagstan enhanced bv even a hint of beauty?
s'oeIun : Il be wise, wouldn't II be the part OF
Selninon sense 10 spend comparatively small sum
oileg on handsome pedestal in lasting bronze?
,-nss. y you could not afford that. could yOu
rGaIs axe pains over something in a cheaper mate
lily ne VIII give his minG it-and IL only
@ an get into the habit of valuing beauty for its
COMMON SENSE IN CRAFTSMANSHIP.
In that Renaissance to which l am always COM
Ilg BACK artists designed lanterns and door knock
f--1 eoA tt4a4o- 4ils7S blA4'iS9 tL4tit
l-l are preserved to-day as treasures IN me
museums OF Europe 1 do think that have
Earned as much from that lesson as might
-SoIn ana thls brings me 10 a closing word on
common sense in craftsmanship / have studied
very carefully the results Of the ARTS and crafts
I.o'eIlehI IN lfls country II mas been productive
OF much good. But a great number Of our artistic
craftsmen seem 10 to be moving about, the
saying goes, In worlds not realized. They have
vague feeling that the thing them do is to
make useful thing beautiful. they sail in TO
spoil good piece of wood, drawing a pattern
u with a poker they make you a fearful
and wonderful design which they call wallpaper,
they fabricate absolutely unWearabe ornaments
and offer them 10 you jewery Their exhibitions
are amusing, doubt. But they spell mlsdirected
energy These craftsmen begin at the wrong end.
They Try 10 walk before they creep. They do
not first make themselves thoroughly acquainted
with the characteristics OF the material in which
maker learns il: knowing metal as a blacksmith
knows IT. They make their designs from the out