The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-05-07
THE PAINTERS VISION.
lie Isn't q WOrshipper OF the God OF
Things as They Are.

To THE EDITOR OF THE SuN-Sir. Tell
"B. X. d." who objects to the absurdi-
ties and impossibilites of the "Pinafore"
ship now staged at the Hippodrome. not
TO let his heart be troubled. Greater
artists than the scene maker OF our
largest theatre have also Leen guilty of
taking liberties with the facts when in
dulging In art for arts sake" for the
edifcation of the public
The famous Dutch painter Breughel.
in picture of THE Wise Men OF the
East" making offerings to the infant
Jesus has one of them dressed In a white
surplice and booted and spurred as he
offers the child "A model Of Dutch
seventyfour warship: Tintoretto. in a pic
,ure representing The Israelites Gather
ing Mamma in the Wilderness" has the
men armed with guns: and Paul YER
onese In his Marriage Feast of Cana Of
Galilce" has introduced among the guests
several Benedictlne monks in full garb.
There Is also painting somewhere in
Europe. l understand. that represents
Abraham About to Sacrifice Isaac" In
which Abraham liz pictured wearing pair
of spectacles and also another painting.
somewhere in Holland. that represents
Adam and Etc and Cain and Abel in
the Garden of Eden" In which Cain and
Abel are playing with a Dutch sailboat
of the lugger type. 1'ut that is not all :
for Michael Angelo twho, l understand,
ranks fairly well. even with modern art
lists and illustrators) has given us, in his
picture OF THE Last judgment" rep
resentation OF "Charon's bark,
Nor are these queer feats of the ar
tistc temperament" confined wholly to
sncien, times. | can personally testify
that | have seen picture OF lady with
a bicycle. in "a recent magazine. In which
the bicycle had a sprocket on both rear
and front wheels with the driving chain
4 L..
saw an illustration of a pair of lovers
In n hanson cab. in which the artist had
equipped the cab with automobile search
lights and set of pneumatic tires big
enough for "A sixty horsepower touring
car Several years ago painting WAS
exhibited in u Fifth avenue art store win
dow In which two schooner rugged yachts
were presented sailing IN opposit" direc-
tlous with their sails set just alike: and
recently an artist friend Of mine showed
me a painting OF steamship coming
head on and actually rising the water on
her keel You may not believe mo, but
the fellow actually took offence when
suggested that "A ship does not skate upon
the waves but is often more than half
submerged.
There il no limitation to the magma
tive rights of the painter. The poetic
license Of the verse maker IL nothing
compared with II. Thomas Moran has
given us painting "f tne tTand tanyo!
IN which appears a lofty crag that Elmen'
dorf the lecturer could not find with his
camera when he undertook to Illustrate
the same subject but the picture looks
better with the extra crag to balance II
NJ so II is the fault not Of the painter
hut of the camera, which Of course has ne
artistic sense. The true painter never
shows things as they are, but as ne sees
them and idcalizes them to charm and
please us common mortals: and this II
the reason why everybody likes tho
Hippodrome "Plrafore" ship. which trul,
Is not ship a, IL, hut IA setting fol-
pretty chorus girls and handsome stag,
tackles 50 why "kick"' The craft woulo
not he fit to go to sea in but we don't
go to sea In tive merely go to see It.
NEW YORK. May &.