The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-01-28
BY ESTHER GRIFFIN WHITE.

|
! two pictures of the winter landscape
which display his talents at their pres
ent climax.
For Bakers art is, or should be,
series of climaxes.
| Snow is not often depicted to the
layman so realistically.
| What is snow, as seen by the artist,
is not always the snow seen by the
average observer.
There are all sorts of tints and
nuances OF light to the painter of the
snow covered landscape that are not
visible to the ordinary.
And the very essence of the painting
art is to interpret what is seen of the
locker.
Baker does this.
All the beauty of the snow is there
but it is the beauty that all see.
And it is painted with unerring
abandon.
Here is an artist who should have
a big public.
Obscure and unknown he would
rank many an artist of reputation.
He possesses technique peculiar
and individual.
An exquisite color sense.
And an immense virility IN handling.
Esde from Bundy. now living, and
Connor dead, this city has produced
no one to equal Baker in pure painting
gifts.
For two years he did not touch a
brush to canvas
Last Spring he returned to his brush
and palette.
And recently he has been painting
industriously. He will be represented
in the coming Heron Art Institute
exhibition in Indianapolis.
It is thousand pties that this town
does not encourage art by buying pic
lures.
! That is the thing that tells.
1t is the criterion by which the art
spirit of community may be judged.
And, measured by this rule of one,
this town has no art spirit
Else she would not permit native
genius to languish.
What is a dramatic criticism?
!
roast"
That is the average persons notion
of any sort of an art criticism.
Or criticism within the domain OF
the arts.
Whether the fine or the associated
; arts.
"Criticism" is defined, generally, as
something adverse.
When the truth is a criticism can
be favorable or unfavorable.
/ THE play--the picture-the opera,
| what not, was criticised" may have
been said.
With that the general Interpretation
is unfavorable or what is termed in
the vernacular, roast"
The truth is that there are certain
; traditions, canons, rules for a dra
matte criticism, let us say.
They concern the dramatic unit
ies," in the first place.
They look to the mechanics of the
play
; To the characterization.
To the plot.
To the exploitation of the whole.
which the meaning of the playwright
is filtered.
Also to the ethical significance, i
) the production can be brought into the
S ethical plane.
? That is, if it is Of sufficient import
= ance to be considered from the ethica
Z standpoint.
All this is put into the dramatic
2 critics pot to boil, so to speak, anc
3 the essence of the whole is skinned
s off and served up to the formers pub
3 lie.
Z There is nothing funnier to the aver
= age newspaper person than the ides
? that the public has of his relation tt
the paper and through the paper t
the public.
There is an idea current that the
newspaper sends its representative:
out on slamming expeditions to rou
out unpleasant things about people
= and institutions.
That the paper or its connection:
take out private grudges in the col
umns of the paper.
That wherever you can work in {
! IooSt lhSiC 10 "iShS SOu AAioi athoi
to the presses.
When the fact is that the rules o
the average paper are strict in this re
gard.
3 CONGRATULATIONS must be adhered to
In the news columns.
Editorial comment and special feat
ure articles give more latitude.
Personal responsibility is held to il
r these departments from the fact tina
l. they are more intimate in character
That they are either the utteranc
h of the paper itself or of writer who's
:. name is attached to the article.
It On the other hand, facts are de
< sired.
r Accuracy is the first requirement o
+, the we'll regulated newspaper and pei
d sonal bias is not permitted to colo
the record of an event
n Dramatic criticism is better know,
e to the general public than the CON
d mentary on any other of the arts.
Since the theatre appeals to tn
d greatest number of people.
g Many persons have the notion tina