New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-03-11
THE AMATEUR.

LIE AHlaN ~
Ia il. AI SSo,ss Il Dofsa Company
IN, Norris has learned something
- famous brother Frank II ne
ron .isnced here and there az the
- Theodore Dresser his BOOK is
- better Tor 10; and, after all. H.
D." own. the fruit Of his own OBJ
- a.ion and experience. HIS tale OF
&C.. york's art life is written from
Ne" hsnd knowledge. It's hero, in fact,
.'' s,s Of those Phil!st!nes who win
.',Isritv along with the hearty con
49,, ~ their fellow artists. He
- be an illustrator; he happens by
N.5Sen. upon stunt" that proves
Sfabis Girls heads. with red hair,
Ssrome bis specially; magazine pub
i,.t.,. cannot have enough Of them
81. ,bsir covers. The Carey Williams
~ ~ heeomes the rage. She appears
:. ,opnles and sextets IN musical COM
H. and revues; tho double swirl Of
49, tresses is copied; she gives her
,one 20 a seasons frock. But she rs
nssiIv Initiated, once the trick Is dis
covered; her vogue passes; and the
,-osnerous trickstcr finds himself fGce
- fae. with his own artistic incom-
rstenee and insincerity
An this may be revealed without
a,r,Inishing the interest Of the 81 ny
sor he prospective reader. II It deals
vlth only this one phase Of New York
ne II deals with q great deal, with
r,ss.icslly all o. Il. And throughout
An. 4, constantly in touch with we'll
s1ovn illustrators, thinly disguised,
,I.h Art editors, with all the compile
,s..d gigantic connection with art Of
the American periodical.
They come 70 New York n their
hondreds, seeking fame and fortune,
Isss young men and women imperfect
y trained at local art schools, unheed-
rs their teachers warnings, relying
mon some lone local success, some
pri,e-winning county fair poster, the
venettes for some railroads tourist
circulars. They come, with faulty tech
pioue, hs1y artistic ideals, ignorant Of
The meaning and interests Of that wider
world with which our magazines deal
~ illustration as IN text. Then the
struggle begins, the struggle OF all the
arts. be IL music. painting, authorship
or acting. A few reach the top, and
some survive. II 10 be only as designers
of monograms or retouchers Of photo
graphs. One would place this book in
the hands Of all aspirants planning 20
make the hazard OF their fortunes to-
morrow. ]. viii not deter them, but it
will teach them much. First OF all, ar
iistic standards and ideals.
For. even as ne does not take his
chosen work seriously sees no con-
rection between Illustration and art
so does the hero Of this story fail 70
take himself seriously. He is a moral
xeskling, he lacks standards Of con-
duct. character BE drifts ir the days
Of bis failure, when necessity dictates,
IS he drifts .r the days o. uccess. when
pleasure beckons and luxury calls. Il
.akes a tragedy 20 bring him 20 his
senses. There Is hope Tor HIM IN the
end as man and as artist.
The plot is simple and straightfor-
ward: 10 is its .rces SAINT stream q in
sdeut, invariably relevant Of some
phase OF the life with which u deals,
that makes the book so readable from
irs- 20 .asr the cheap 5OarQing-hJus
o. its opening pages, the magazine o.t1-
ces. the studio building and Us ways,
the night life. the lUtcrlude Of grand
err with i-s snowy pleasures. the cpl
sOde e. the annual smoker Of the So
ciety Of Illustrators, which marks the
beginning OF the end--it is all vividly
done, and 70 ell is made 70 emphasize
the meaning Of character IN success,
and the share IN failure Of the lack OF
l. The women who play their parts IN
he story OF this amateur must be left
70 the reader OF the book.