New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-02-17
MORALS AND MANET
Nude and Clothed Figures, the Pm
Heart and Some Instruction for O,..
o The Editor Of The Tribune.

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: PetrOnius Arbiter has explsin.as
Art World for January that Manet,.
on the Grass" is a degenerate work a. '
the name Of all art that is super,sr,
or outside the narrow limits OF thi.
Art World" I beg to protest sgsiu,
judgment and his divining moral MIND
hanets reputation as a grea. paint,
landmark in the history of art call, ~
defence OF him; with his morals lik.w,.
need now have little to do; but when
deliberately belittles one whom all in,sn"s
artists regard as a master some on.
indicate that he has not spoken the las, s
with regard 70 the picture itself m.
enee Of nude and clothed figures tos..s
will always mean one thing and an. 80
only to certain types Of intelligence !,
affect these like an aphrodisiae a, \.
for horror, according to the degre. IN ~ ~
their minds are warped and in which S;-
ton they have turned in the twisti,o
pure IN heart, however, are not so as..,.s
for they see what is good. Il is proh,T,
that Petronius will never understand 49,
but | can offer him a few suggestions a.,
may help to unveil at least one other ip,,,,,.
tation of this particular picture.
1t is probable that the men have ebo...
retreat where the arrival Of stranger Va,
utterly impossible; so that the good citi,.s.
he refers to would have no chance Of hsi..
shocked stiff" Perhaps these peopl, a.
not "free lovers" after all, but legally ms,
ried. 1t may be that two artists have ~,
ried two models from whom they have stuSa,
together in the schools for years. reali,;ss
that they are entirely respectable vo,,s
women and the sole supports Of their NJ
ridden parents. They have saved them ,,o-
a life of shame in a cold and cruel voylI
Possibly they have even now been pairif,,
from them, for the study OF the nude in n,
open air is one of the most difficult ana "a.
cnating problems. Il may be they see "A
reason why they should not continue 10 wor,
together in perfect privacy as they have "a
long done in public. l defy Petronius to ana
any hint that the men are exhibiting an,
sort of sexual interest in their companions.
suggest they are quite obviously diseussir,
some intellectual, perhaps religious. problem
| deny that the female seated figure is self
conscious in any respect other than a con.
seriousness of being painted and desire 3,
sit still in the pose chosen by the pante,
until she may move. She is quite obviously
not meant to be a seductive courtesan and
has not 1.-THE of the indecency in her ex.
preston that may be seen on any magazine
cover in America.
Tribute to the boy with the Sword" /,
grudgingly given, and de Bon Book" is
thrown in as an afterthought Has Petrcnus
seen "The Lady with the Parrot" "The Cid
with the Cherries" the portrait Of Nile
Morissot, the bull fights, the landscapes, Bis
still life, especially the marvellous "eel'
which makes most fish paintings look like -
cents? If few of Manet's pictures ofen!
the ephemeral morality Of the middle clsise.
of their date, let US not forget TO give homo,
where honor is not only due, but cannot b
withheld. STEPHEN HAWEIS
Nassau, n. p, Bahamas, Feb. 10, lel7