Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1911-04-28

nitied and graceful design and of
tone and color harmony in a picture.
l believe that work does not rise
to the dignity of art unless these
things have been taken into account
first and last, and | believe in the
eternal necessity of beauty-in any
work of art that shall live Beauty
of tone, of color, of line-the result
of harmonious treatment.
Since the time when pictures were
replaced by writing as means of
conveying thought, pictures have re-
manned purely ornamental and, like
jewelry, their utility is to decorate
and their message is simply beauty.
The traditions of art that are vital
are all based on utility-the require
ments of decoration-the laws of
harmony applied to the decoration
of spaces with color and form-for
1t is required of all artistic express
sion that it decorate before it can
serve the mood that calls it forth.
do not mean the utility that the
moralists insist upon as the term is
commonly applied in art which re-
quires that a work of art must serve
some moral or instructive purpose
which excuses poor painting be-
cause of its lofty thought and praises
or condemns picture on the merits
of philosophy, but the simple utility
of beauty which makes a thing pleas
ing to look upon and by its appeal to
emotions through the charm of
symbols woven in form and color
leads captive the Imagination.
If Brotticelli's Spring" has the
feeling of spring and youth and
joyousness, it is, think, not a little
because of the joyous vibrant rythm
and the righteousness of line and
movement, And if Fra Angelico's
| frescos impress one with piety and
holiness it may be little because the
faces of his saints and angels are
pious and quiet, but | think it is
much more because his designs are
| filled with a simple and asture dig
nifty and because of the unearthly
beauty of his color-the color of WIS.,
ions and dreams.
Painting like other crafts, has
certain traditions and laws, but it
differs in having an infinitely more
varied range .of expression. 1t is
consequently more exacting of
knowledge and workmanship as a
craft. But in passing judgment on
pictures or coming to any knowledge
or understanding of them people too
often ignore the craft side which
deals alone with form and color al
most entirely and are carried away
by sentiment poetry and fancy to adj
mire good and bad work without any
discrimination sentiment, poet
ry and fancy can exist in very poor
painting and almost always do
but 1.-The marvellous invention that
shall have put form and color into
such perfect harmony" is overlook
ed.
The laws of harmony, the laws of
color and of design and their varied
/ application to artistic expression are
the traditions of the craft of painting
embodied not in written laws but in
the work of masters. The real in
spiration of the artist is the knowl-
edge of their application, which en-
ables him to recognize the conditions
in nature worthy of a picture. To
quote NJ. Whistler again, Mature
contains the elements in color and
form of all pictures as the keyboard
contains the notes of all music But
the artist is born to pick and choose
to group with science that the result
may be beautiful-to say to the art
list that he must take nature literally
is to say to the musician that he may
! sit on the keyboard"
To know how to draw and paint
does not necessarily mean to be able
to make picture. The work of all
the amateurs in the world bears wit
ness to this. 1t is the ability to Sc
lect from nature and arrange that
! distinguishes the artist. The study
OF nature alone does not help him in
this. 1t is the study of pictures, the
comprehensive study of the works of
the masters that teaches him the
principles of tone and design of color
and line of rythm which he applies to
nature around him and out of old
! principles and new forms he creates
a work of art that is new. So it
might be said that every picture that
can be called a work of art is the
child of all that have gone before. A
very great artist recently dead laid