New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-04-10
INDEPENDENT ART.
Some Reflections On Its Claims and
OBLIGATIONS.

In h, building AT Nos ~ ana 81 N'S' ""'''
street 4 considerable number of painters. with "a
few e,ulptors are making am exhibition at their
works. They call it an exhibition of 'lndepen-
dent Artists" and while they have issued no
f, -rnal statement Of their purpo-e it is to be
inferred that they make this display becaus"
th.v could not make il under tie auspices oi
any .oiIi.iaI- organization. such as the Ac3demE
al Design. We understand that the exhibitors
invited tc contribute have paid for their wall
space and have thtroupon been privileged l"
hang what they chose. Not only in the ttIe
they assume hut in the qualities that lie upon
IN, surface II their work may read an as
scrtivcncss OF the sort which, time out of mind.
ms invited reelection the point at issue be-
tween the ms AMI tie outs" There is an air
&c protest filling thu three floors mot hitherto
irtcndri To- lc used art gaeries). through
which about six hundred paintings. sculptures
and drawings have been scattered. What does 1t
Imply? What does it amount to? Was there
need Of It. and if So, how have the Independents
justified themselves?
In tn, two sides of every situation which has
provoked artist group TO make decla
ration OF independence the determining factors
have been clearly recognizable and they have
rarely varied. on the hand YOU have en-
trcnchcd authority usually committed to acad-
emic formul:p and usually rich in mediOcrity,
r,scntng the rise Of anything new. on the
other hand you have youth and originality.
someti-ncs gcnus. ana always a generous am
hilton Because your hidebound academician IS
intrin.icaIly obr.oxious type it is natural 10
sympathi.e anyway with the movement he tries
Ia ieDress but il is important to remember that
this is point having next TO nothing to do
with the righteous settlement of given case.
For that there is only one test. Is the
Iaint.r good painter? lie does rot deserve
{" triumph just because ne is new. If he is
also = bad painter he has no business trying to
drum Jp revolution: he should leave that to his
bcttcrs II is idle to hope however, that these
things viii ever be governed by reason and so
th, most that one can do is to observe the tes-
tIaony "f the past. All the really fertilizing
developments in modern arr have had their
source in rebellion. Gericault, DelaCrOiT. and
their comrades were all in opposition to the
powers prevailing in their day The Impress
siunisty IN their turn contended against the
romantic school and III, theories of light which
satisfied ia" Barbizon masters. Besides these
farIous EPISODES in the reorganization of mod
.rn painting there have been others. large and
small too numerous to he catalogued here. one
.rlth they have all enforced, and that is that
yea cannot keep man Of genius down Put
you have got To have your genius.
Men like Manyt and Whistler inevitably give
then indi pcnd'.ncc historic standing. what OF
ia. men who even with Tcasurably legitimate
;-ri,NanCr against the smugncss Of intolerant
ju-i.s. nevertheless fail to demonstrate THAI they
have anything superior To put in the pace or
the STUFF they dcnouncc? What Of the who
:r. not born leaders. with real staying power.
hit mcr" macontcnts 81 distinctly minor gifts?
w w-H remember tn great split. years ago.
amongst the artists Of France and the creation
q. tLc New Salon. 1t was exciting to watch
I'o fray IT close quarters. anG {" note the cnor-
,l.o-;s difference between the two bodies of OK
III. it"-s. one marking tire and the other
was Lla:ing .cw paths. Surely. dissension there
waS Material and profitable. And yet. in the
long ru. ths Sew SalCn failed to make good it's
promise As IN" years went on il fell into the
VANS 81 the original organization and the differ
tnccs once productive Of SO much rccrimination
long since disappeared. Tie same thing hap