Evening star., 1914-12-12
.HAT there is a very real inter-
est in art in Washington was
plainly shown last Tuesday
evening, when more than 500

evening, When more LHdn oVU
persons went to the National
Museum to hear a lecture on the
decorative arts, which was given
in the auditorium by Frank Alvah Par
sons of New York, under the auspices
of the Washington Society of the Fine
Arts. This was the second lecture in
a course of six to be given during the
present season, all by the same lee
turer, who is an authority on this sub
ject, and also a most successful and
accomplished teacher.
The subject of the lecture Tuesday
was 1.-The Italian Decorative styles and
Their Influence on All Subsequent Art
Periods Mr.. Parsons began, however,
by explaining the significance, as well
as the characteristics, of classic art,
which was, he said, the basis and sub
stance of all art. He emphasized its
simplicity, sincerity and constancy,
and he pointed out the fact that the
classic ideal was toward realization
of God through beauty. 1t was. he ex-
planned, with this object that the
Greeks strove to Great works, whether
in sculpture or architecture, which were
as nearly perfect as they might be
perfect in form. in proportion, in re-
lation of lines and spaces.
In illustration Of this he showed
slides of the Parthenon and the Erec-
theum and of two Greek statues. Next
came the Gothic period, which, in its
essence, was spiritual when the ideal
was the negation OF material, the de-
NAL of the body and the exaltation of
things of the spirit. In this period
even the stone and iron and glass lost
their substance and became as etheral
as lace. For example, the cathedrals
with their aspiring lines. their SYM
thaty ptNar- -ad
sculptures and their exquisite traceries
of glass and lead. In that time. Mr..
Parsons said. the workman was so
deeply imbued with this ideal, SO in
most took shape of themselves. the
spirit finding. almost forcing, natural
creative expression.
The renaissance he described as the
product of classicism poured through
a Gothic sieve-a reaction from an eX-
cess of spirituality toward physical
beauty and material perfection. Later
on he showed that the impulse, or that
thing which Is embodied in art, was
again strained through yet other
ternperanental conditions-this time
scotland lumaniZed, materialized, so
that it no longer sought to express
God or the Spirit, but rather to please
the senses of man. Along these lines,
Mr.. Parsons truly said, is written the
entire history of art. showing prln-
ciples applicable today as in the past,
Mr.. Parsons exhibited the facade or a
famous palace in Florence which might
be taken as an example by architects,
the makers of furniture and the
ma kers of dress.
1t was such illusions as this which
made the lecture of practical value to
his audience. To be told what is good
and what is bad is interesting. but not
half so engaging as TO be given, in al
most flash. knowledge which Will en-
able one personally to discriminate IL
is this which Mr.. Parsons knows most
admirably how to give. Moreover, he
shows all art to be, as IT were. one;
architecture, paintings. sculpture. de-
sign in textiles. furniture, stained
glass. dress. advertising-the art OF
Greece, the art of the Italian renals-
sance, the art of the present time-and
this is a lesson which cannot be too
well learned.
THE art talk at the Corcoran School
Monday afternoon was given by
Richard n. Brooke, vice principal as
well as the president of the Society of
Washington Artists, and was on The
Use of the Sketch Book" He spoke from
the professional staudpOint but also