The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1918-04-01
CuriOSities
Critics Take Romance Out
of u. S. History.
BY Philip r. Dillon.

It may be asserted against little OPP
position that tho rrf.st widely known
figure painting in the United States
IL washington Crossing the Dcias
| ware" r
The original hangs in the Metro
politan Museum of Art. 1t was painted
! in 1s5l-1S52. The artist was Emanuel
Leutze, who was born in Wurttem-
berg, Germany, in 1916, and as a boy
came with his father to Fredericks-
burg. Va. The son went back to Ger
many to study art and made his home
at Dusseldorf on the Rhine for 20 years
He visited America in 1851 and planned
a number OF paintings depicting events
in American history. The best OF
these is washington Crossing the
Delaware" Samuel Isham,s in "The
History Of American Painting" criti-
cizes the work from the artistic view
point. He writes:
at is a good picture of its kind
well drawn, well composed with tht
details of the scene realized by thu
imagination until it carries convic-
ton of it's reality. Above all. thu
sentiment of the subject Is there rem
dered in such a way as to be under
stood by all. 1t has taught success
sive generations of school children
: las text books could not, the high for
titude and faith Of Washington ami
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS and dangers. Their
;, is something German rather thai
American in the faces, showing Wher
| the models We're obtained; Just as IN
lee filled river was painted not from
1.-The Delaware but from the Rhine
Despite the pictures popularity me
$ of the United States navy have as
r serted that it Is absurd to the prae
teal eye OF n sailor. First Of al
they say, the artist has violated on
Of the oldest rules i'll the code OF SEA
: manship: "Never stand up In an ope
a boat under way Artist Lentz
nainted washington standing up
- that boat, and the boat is assured
!, rocking, for three men are Vigoroesl
: pushing away floes of ice, The his
!" toric fact is, with hardly doubt th'
III washington sat down in that boat G
the early morning after Christmas da
y of lT76.
y Sailors have found other faults WI
% ,he picture. The boat has rowlocs
NJ and four oars. Three men have OF
IN Il, hand. but two of them are pushie
r auay the ice and only one is ''pd-
or inr." although the boat is heaN
+ loaded with twelve men-not mi
n newer to get the commander in che
nd across the river. Obviously the In
to has little ii any steerage way, so ",
n shou,d the coxswain SO strsnuoa,
n hold the rudder with both handsg s.
say The sailors. However the saif.
nc lare comparatively few, and their eli
n. c;sm has not affected a hundred IL
!, lion Americans who have been threS
m by the picture.
.Battle OF Lake Erie" is anee
h. famous painting that has been Ell
:, cised by naval men, and here thesr
- critics by right, sticking TO lei
50 hast" as did the shoemaker art It'll
of Athens This painting was re
~ cuted by w. IL. Powell upon the de
ne of congress II was commencs il
be 1871 and finished in 1878. Aaaos
,ut schoolhoys have been told, the lsur
hes yisualizes that dramatic momenthel
nat oliver Hazard Perry left the weke,
lrd Lawrence to go to the uninjur Nj
ing asarr. and thereby won his Nes,
,us Here is no lack Of nautical rism
The oarsmen in the cuttor or ar
..,giying way together" with svt an
Ia newer. There is considerable I'd, a
the shown by the flags and pennes an
her a choppy sea. 1t il all true, emf III
/ To figure OF Perry standing up tina
open boat. Every sailor knD tina