New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-12-31

fuence there at all. Artists whose
STYLES were formed before 1914 go right
on working to-day as they worked then;
In conversations among painters ana
sculptors one hears not infrequently
expressions Of curiosity as 70 what is
going TO happen when peace - de-
clared." There is much guesswork, out
that is all. and not even artists lately
returned from abroad seem 70 have no
ticed anything ain the air" that really
promised change. Here and there II
seems to be thought that when tne
artists who have gone TO the trenches
get out of them they will have some
thing new to say. We wonder. Inc
postal cards painted in the trenches
give no sign that French artists, at al
events, are filling their scant leisure
with new experiments. On the otner
hand. the commonest opinion IS that IN
the reaction following the war men Will
be thrown back upon the older conveh
tions as upon sources or repose anu
quiet happiness. They may be TOO
fatigue6 for revolution. The problem
is. 10 be sure, quite insoluble at pres
ent, and we make no pretense or shed-
ding any light upon 1t; but we may
perhaps be permitted to hazard an
opinion.
This is that the wars influence, apart
from the obvious cult it viii develop
for military subjects, will not be made
manifest in any deep, spiritual sense
for a good many years after peace
comes. II will count, we think, only as
thought and emotion slowly crystal
lie and feed mems minds. The dis
concerning thing about much current
talk on the subject is that it assumes
the artist to be like the poet-a kind Of
aolian harp, played upon by every
wind. BY the very nature Of his me-
dunn he is constrained 20 a more de
liberate process Of creative action. We
cannot believe that he is going to leap
from the trenches and Immediately be-
gin to try TO match on canvas or IN
marble what he has seen and felt dur
ing the war, and that he Will feel the
need Of inventing a new technique for
the purpose. He couldn't be as facile
or as shallow as that We guess, IN
our turn, that ne Will be, II anything
terribly sobered, and very grateful for
the steadying, constructive help offered
him by the historic past
One circumstance contributing 70
this hypothesis Is the arid history OF
the "Modernist" movement in this
country. The Armory Show Of four
wears ago has borne little Of the good
fruit that seemed not unlikely 20
come Of il. Freakish painters OF the
sort il favored are doubtless more
numerous than they were and the
.heep-like zealots fearful OF being
left of the band wagon-who beat the
drum for them then are still assidu-
Gus at their humping. The fact re-
mains that the so-called innOvators
have done nothing, as yet, to show
that they ought TO be taken over
seriously. There are rumors OF new
yroup Of independents" which is 70
model its exhibitions on those OF the
Allied Artists Society. dispensing
with iuries. II 1t brings some good
works of art 70 light, so much the
better. But in art there Is nothing
talismanic about organization. Il is
not a way OF exhibiting. but a way OF
painting, that make. an artist There
seems 10 be q notion In some quarters
that the secret OF new life for
American art must reside in some
new scheme for getting the public eN-
cited about IL. The public will get
excited when il is offered 4 good rea
son, namely, great painting or a
great piece Of sculpture. No; the
freakish gentry have not justified
themselves. In those conversations 20
which we have referred we have heard
artists wondering II one result Of the
war would not be the scornful sweep
ing into the dust bin of all this ANA
flourish bounce and crudity. The idea
Is the more persuasive inasmuch as
the stuff seems 10 be heading onward
even now. II makes far less noise in
the world than il did. That. by itself
is cheering reflection with which 20
,...-a IL. IL rnr tka