The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-05-10


cry, the Scotch painter.
Every one who loves art knows Paul De
Longpre OF Los Angeles. and they will he
greatly Interested in the following caus tic
letter which ho has sent 10 the press of
the United States:
In the last fifty years several hundred
millions of dollars spent for thousands OF
ugly, smoky cracked old masters (most
OF them spurious).
-. Starving pitilessly tho living artists
Inc SO sad story of MilleCs life repeated
continually for the benefit of the dead of
centuries ago,
The great majority of the so-caIed
o,d masters flooding the United States
should be relegsted 10 special rooms
called Chambers of Horrors
The true artist or amateur Of art
must. first OF all be A lover OF the beauti-
ful; II must be his religion and tho great
elevatlng mission OF art is 10 educate the
masses 10 love the beautiful
starting with that idea which is abso-
lute truth, II can be asked: Is there any
real beauty Coutside OF n limited nulnher)
In the thousands OF so-caIled old masters
TO be found in the United States7 Most
assuredly not, AS the ma ajorty OF them
stupid subjects, full OF faults OF dra wing,
with the dead coloring OF mummies
What pernicious influence upon the
artistic taste of the people OF this great
republic must have the immense quantity
OF those old horrors decorating thousands
of wealthy homes
IF the real old masters could only see
tho many atrocities sold under their
names
''If they could sec the numberiess fac
tories in America and in Europe where
old masters are painted by the gross, Just
10 satisfy the silly ostentation of the new
rich
rs it not most inhuman most in
famous, 10 wait till an artist is dead TO
purchase his paintings and proclaim him
great?
:, "oh. rich art lovers, read these few
lines about the great Milers sad life:
Time after time his first masterpieces
were rejected by the jury OF the Paris
salon In order to keep his wife and
children from starvation lie would accept
any offer and paint signs for the smallest
sums So late as 1SaS friend learning
OF his plight. raised twenty dollars for
MN from the minister OF fine arts Al
that time all Paris was talking OF his
paintings And those same paintings
which command now fabulous prices no
BODY would buy
Instead OF enciching dealers of old fake
paintings, why do not our rich art
patrons extend helping hand 10 needy
gcniuses?
Surely nothing could give greater sat
isfaction 10 them than To know that their
wealth was instrumental in handing down
10 posterity some heretofore undiscovered
great artist
''It should he the natural and sensible
wish OF every one that the reward should
come 10 those creating fine art works be-
brain.
THE living artists should be entitled Ia
the moral and financial support OF their
wealthy fcllowmeu. and in return give TO
the world the best that is in them.
only in this way can the true art
spirit be created and leave it's imprint
OH the sands OF time, Only in this way
can the twentieth century he proclaimed
the greatest in fine arts, as we'll as In in
dustria progress.
And does the study Of the old masters
(with few eNcep,ions) help the young
artist IT is very doubtful To study
from most OF them is simply starting
those young artists on the wrong road
copying colorfaded, faulty in drawing
unintercstlng subjects. will never breed
means very little progress.
''Without eXaGgcration, Il can be said
that for one genuine old master I'm the
United states there arc now one hundred
spurious ones
Does not that NJ admira bly, the words
OF Barnum. The Americans like 10 be
humbugged'
'It is very difficult to understand why
intelligent men should relish that And
vet the flood OF bogus old paintings in
lions Of good American dollars are spent
shows exactly that what Barnum said
was far. an absolute truth
1T is sincerely 10 he hoped that the
will soon he thing OF the past and that
The majority Of them will be relcGated
TO the obscuritS to which they belong
and replaced by modern works OF art full
of the poetry OF life and freshness Of
Colors.
"Beautiful paintings are silent poems.
immortaliZed on canvas; let them enrich
and brighten your homes
Couple Settle Differences.