The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1914-03-13

encouraged the fake foreign art 10
the detriment of our own, our artists
have survived, and our art is moving
to be a magnificent tribute to our
native genius. Neither, France, Ger
many, England nor Spain can rank
with our out-of-door painters of hills,
orchards, streets, prairies and mesas,
who are sensitively alive TO all our
beauty and suffering. The early snow
fall, the gentle pool, the gurg1Ing
brook, the stiffness of the woods, the
joy and fragrance of early spring,
twilight, simple homes, isolated old
homestead filled with memories, the
golden grain fields all tell their mes
sage best through our own native
genius, who express quietly and hon
estly the beautiful things about them
in their own way, and it's value to the
development of a national art is I'M
measurable.
There are groups of artists in the
west and middle west whose work
possesses a distinct character of its
own. The inherent qualities of the
westerners are sureness, alertness,
fearlessness, constituencies, rather
than conventionality The imitation
and artificial have no rightful place
with the children of the pioneer. A
western artist, therefore, should be
sincere, open-hearted and minded,
free from conventional ideas, loyal
to his part of the nation. Therefore
his work should be fresh, full of life
and energy, invigoratingly related to
life itself. The west has or rather
Is producing literature all its own,
moving in new channels by telling
the story of its people of the western
slope in appreciable contrast to that
of other parts of our country, or any
other country for that matter. Only
the men and women who are of the
west, primitive and unspoiled, who
know it and are intimate with the
makers of it, can undorstandingly
write literature of 1t. Yes, we have
a literature of the west, and now
we are come to an art OF the west,
the real quality of the land with its
truth, simplicity and vitality, for
adobe, the indian as he is, the golden
grain, the plain, moving and wind
swept, or barren and still, the can
yons, the waves of the Pacific, snow
capped hills and deep green valleys,
purple depths and gigantic broken
eccentric boulders, the homes of the
cliffdwellers, the sunlight, the glor-
ious sunset, the wonderful blue of
the sky, the sometimes gray, misty
twilight, can only be painted by the
wholesome westerner with no visions
of Paris studio, and no better ma
terial for a distinctive art exists.
The west is also a wonderful field
for the sculptor, who is already pro-
ducing the work of master hand.
The spring Academy of Design Of
1911 showed an interesting increase
of American subjects, both in sculp-
ture and painting, the east, west and
middle west becoming more intimate
painting and sculpture by
using as subjects our own landscapes,
our own children, animals, great men
and homes, which proves the younger
artists are studying at home; accept
ing their own land as background.
The same academy in 1912 showed
such an exposition as was never be-
fore witnessed in America. The
young men Carrying off so many hon
ors, a standard far above anticipa-
tion was reached.
Mention of the American Water
Color society has not been made. A
water color is usually considered in
ferior to an oil, but this is absurd.
An oil is more expensive because the
cost more and were form
erly more durable. There is a ques-
ton however, If that valuation would
hold good at present The choice be-
tween the two is more an understand
ing of beauty than superior kind of
culture. The American Water Color
exhibition takes place yearly with
variety of subjects and methods of
them that seems limitless.
Owing to the great awakening
sweeping over our nation, there was
an earnest call for national academy
building in 1910, the promoters
that all great movements
civilization by the aid Of
institution, that all permanent insti-
tutions are born in some phaze of
reformation. The National academy
was needed as a nursery for art. We
have become convinced of the great
educational value of fine arts, and in
nearly every city and many small
towns, provision is made for exhibi-