The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-08-21
eeTHEREs no need to be s

formal" said Michael Angelo,
l. "call me Mike, and make your
self thoroughly at home. Now what was
it you wanted to know
told him again
Art" said the great sculptor-painter-
et-architect-decorator rs hard thing
TO define. One mans art is another man 8
poison. Some think art has advanced
because lately people have been breaking
away from the hand-painted plaque, the
brunt wood portrait and the red calf
skin with a j. Fenimore Cooper Indians
portrait stamped on in 10 seperate and
distinct colors. But I note that the
Oriental cozy corner which is so called
because nobody, whether Oriental or
otherwise, could be cozy in II unless he
were dead first. may still be found in
the homes of the refined and the Gull
tured- Some think art has gone back
since the days of the ancients and point
to the sculpture of early Greece and
Rome. But they've only seen the classic
statuary of the temple and the forum.
They have no way of knowing what kind
of centerpieces Mrs. Xantippe embroder
ed for the company bed. And for all
they, know to the contrary, the late ].
Caesars wife, lady who was above
been guilty of winter bouquets for the
parlor mantel and throws for the backs
of the parlor chairs. The popular con-
ception of art is changing. One genera
ton calls 1t art and the next calls 1t
junk, both being frequently correct So
it goes and who would stop it7'
But the Old Masters" l ventured to
protest, your works and the works OF
your contemporaries-they survive eter-
nally."
Not eternally," said Michael Angelo,
only as long as we're highly expensive.
I shudder to think what would happen to
US Old Masters II ]. Pierp., or Willie
X, Junior, should start In collecting the
works of your highest paid and most
famous modern artists, such as those who
do the comic supplement series and those
who design the covers for the 15-cent
magazines. Wed go to the trash pile
soon enough, all of us-the German Old
Masters who painted all German angels,
and the Flemish artists who painted all
Flemish angels, and the Italians, who
always made full-blooded Italians of their
saints and martyrs. I've no doubt II
we'd had any Irish Old Masters back In
my time, there would have been a large
output of Irish saints, too. AS 1t was, the
Irish went on the principle that they
cared not who painted the saints so long
as they could name their children for
them and raise them up to go on the po-
lice force and hold most of the other
fighting Jobs Of the world
But all other nationalities Of angels
are well represented in your American
collections and will continue to be so, I
imagine. until something that costs more
comes forward. Then no more will you
find the prominent steel millionaire of
Pittsburg, or the hog millionaire of Chi
cago, or the oil millionaire of New York
escorting his guest through the art gal
lery of the baronial estate and saying to
him, Now, here's a very rare piece
of sculping-the Venus D. Medicine
think they call 1t. had 1t Struggled out
of town in Italy called Florence which
is bum town where you can't find
stock ticker or get a decent dollar cigar
to save your gizzard. The Italian gov
eminent kicked up lot of fuss, but what
did | care? Only when / found her all
crippled up like you see her now, with the
arms knocked off, / told the express peo-
Pile I'd sue 'em' But 1t seems she'd been
damaged goods all the time-I guess may
be her original owners. the Venuses
reckon 1t was, or one OF those other old
Dago families. had careless hired girl.
And here's another one with medicinal
L
picked up for couple of millions on the
other side. But from here on the col
lection Is just one blamed thing after
another. When you're through come on
out and I'll show you bunch of col
lie dogs and touring cars worth look
ing at
you'll not hear the fabulously rich
art collector speaking thus to his guests.
instead he'd take him by the hand and
lead him through his gallery and say to
him: Here's a very rare old thing It's
nm oroginal McGabbs-a drawing In color
for a full page In the Sunday edition
his celebrated creation. The Comical
Hausenpfeffer Twins. stand here where
you can catch the light on the one in the
lower right hand corner representing the
twins in the act of saving off their grand
mothers ears with a carving knife. There.
that's it-think of the brain that conceived
that fancy and of the hand that mingled
hose reds pinks, puppies. greens, blues
and yellows. I paid 100000 for that one,
In a damaged condition, and gave guy
named Maxfield Parrish so to restore it.
And there. right next to it, Is q real
rhoward Handler Histy-the last one of
1900 that he made of the same girl that
was on every magazine cover and in all
of Richard Harding Davis novels for
10 years. Being the last one Is what
makes 1t SO valuable
That's the way 1t will be-" went on
Michael Angelo. "In those times nobody
will buy Rubens unless he's one him