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

merely of the form and the symbols
used and of growth because the beau
tiful is always seeking new express
sion to serve the new mood that calls
it into existence For the art which
was called forth in the service of re-
ligion in the decoration of churches
and affairs needs a different form of
eXpression--and different symbols
from that which serves the more per-
sonal ends Of modern painting. Yet
the laws of harmony of proportion of
beauty remain the same and the
quality of excellence Is not changed
The history of growth in art is the
history of growth in religion. Art
began in the service of religion in
creating images of divine things and
ends in discovering the diyine-the
beautiful in all created things, /
shall not attempt to deal with schools
or periods generally, for that has all
been written out ana argued about
in books, but | shall take the mod
ern, particularly the impressionist
movement, and endeavor to set forth
its aims and its antecedents
lmpressionism has been called the
etenography of painting. 1t is the
| effort to render the effects seen in
nature as comprehended in a glance
the impression of masses of light
and dark and spots Of color which
the eye seiZes and retains as the most
essential characteristics of objects.
Its great achievement is the render
| ing of the familiar effects OF light
and atmosphere in color. These eff
forts are not new in the history of
painting but the movement in recent
times was a revolt against the acad-
emic teachings which had reduced
color to formulas that forbade any
intimate rendering of the transient
and elusive effects of light and had
reduced drawing to slavish imitation
of nature and the aimless industry Of
realism that destroyed all spon-
taniety and freshness 1t also pro
tested against the allegoricaI and his
torical paintings of the neo-classic
school which busted itself with his
tory and mythology and interpreted
all forms in the terms of classic art
Impressionism was simply re-
turning to nature for new material
seeking for new color harmouies in
the play of sunlight and atmosphere
and making beautiful design of mass
es of dark and light tones and be-
lieving that in Interpreting nature
effects were more important to truth
than details, suppressed all detail
not essential to design The name
is somewhat narrowly applied to a
style of painting with broken color,
literary using the spectrum ANALYSIS
of light as basis for Interpreting
light. This, however. is only SUI
perticial phase of impressionism q
development of technic. The move
ment is too broad to be embraced by
any technic. 1t has come to mean
the ever recurring swing of the pen
dulum in art toward nature for new
forms, the intimate and truthful in
depreciation of nature "for art is
not a critisicm but a revelation"
OF the men who instituted this
movement Edward Manet and Ogas
stand foremost Manet, who bore
the brunt of the battle for recognition
in the Salons was frankly influenced
by COCA, Spaniard of the eighteenth
century, and by Franz Halls, a Dutch
master, and Velasquez, the great
Spaniard, both of the first half of the
seventeenth century. | may say that
the influence Of Velasquez is still felt
and acknowledged by all great paint
ers Of the present time Whistler,
whom ! consider the greatest master
since Velasquez, paid homage to him
without reserve and to few others
Degas, who painted race track scenes
and ballet girls was student Of the
Italian masters, and made elaborate