The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-02-24
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORM ALTON
BUREAU
ONE MORE DECLARATION OF
INDEPENDENCE.


INDEPENDENCE.
New York. Feb. 17.-Chairs. rugs.
wall paper. jewelry, bottles. lamps.
picture frames. and dozens of other
things that are supposed to be artistic
and beautiful are now designed in
America" as well as made here. The
exhibition of work by manufacturers
and designers at the Metropolitan
Museum of Art proves that beyond a
doubt. And it means that we have
made one more declaration of econo-
mic independence from Europe
Perhaps you thought these things
were always designed in America. By
no means! Europe has always been
to Americans the home of beauty and
culture. Hence it has always been
considered right and necessary that
we should go to Europe for designs Of
all kinds, or at most take the risk of
importing designer and hoping he
would survive in the artless American
air.
Now, this idea that we had to go to
Europe to get an artistic design for
a piece of calico, or chair. or a piano
lamp was one of the greatest of
American superstitions, ranking along
side of witchcraft and faith in ghosts.
For the Europeans never gave US any,
thing original, and seldom even pre-
tended to do SO. They simply went
to their museums and copied chairs
that were used in the reign OF Louis
the Sixteenth, of Pippin the Squat or
monarch of antiquity Their cribbed
from the Moors and from the Japs,
and from every other people that ever
Matched an idea in decorative art. In
a word. they simply wandered around
in their museums and picked out
yxyI, foxyo fnnl hat 70 ,ntn
Anybody could 90 that who had q
museum. And We have museums just
as good al anyone else. So when the
war broke cut, certain enterprising
Americas mNseum directors set out to
drive it thru the head of the Ameri-
can manufa cturers that they could
crib from antiquity just as easily as
European manufacturers could. The
result was that some manufacturers did
send their designers to American mu-
seums, and those designers did crib
from the Russians. and the Hindoos
and the Normans and from the Re-
Nuisance and the Paleolithic and an
sient Rome with just as much facility
as any European designer. The ex-
hibition is proof of the fact.
The next step is to found a truly
American school of decorative art.
Why not, instead of borrowing from
all nations and all ages. take such
native American decorative art as We
have, and develop it into something
distinctive? The mission architecture,
for example, is indigenous and highly
decorative. as is also the mission fur
niture. The Pueblos have accom-
plished really artistic results in pot
terry, as have the Nava1os in rugs and
| in silver jewelry. If we would study
these beginnings of native American
decorative art and develop them into
a native American school. we would
not only to to Europe.no longer for in.
| spiration, but would have Europe
| coming to us.
Since the early days of the war the
Metropolitan Museum of Art officials
have been carrying on campaign to
| make the galleries work" Th9g
were more farsighted than the mand-
| facturers. They knew that. cut off
| from the European source OF supply
as to design and taste, American in
dustries would be at a lo0A But they
| also knew that if the manufa cturer
could only learn to use the great mu-
| scum collections as part OF his work
| ing plant, he would be in fair way
to become independent of Europe for
| inspiration.
| The problem was how to get the
| manufacturer to use the museum. Inc
| first step was taken last August when
| Richard F. Bach, curator of the school
4 c,
| was appointed to the museum staff as
| associate in industrial arts. Mr. Bach
| has devoted himself to the needs OF
! anufacturers, dealers, designers ana
artisans. He is an adviser, and it is
his business to render accessible to
them the collections OF the museum.
In other words, he is a clearing house
between the resources of the museum
| and the industrial arts.
| Coming at the end of the first six
| months of this activity the present ex-
,hibition confirms the opinion of those
I who believed that with proper guild
| ance the manufacturers of this coun-
| try could make designs equal to any
| in the world The pieces exhibited oc-
cupy two galleries. They include fur
niture. textiles. decorative accessories.
mirrors. frames, jewelry. laces, metal
| work, pottery, rugs, mosaics and wall
paper. All ages and nations are here
| represented, of course.
| This dainty little cold-cream jar for
| milady's dressing table is copied from
an Athenian vessel twenty centuries
| old; Russian 1aces supplied the design
| for that dinner set: the charming pat
terms for these voiles and chiffons
were suggested by F1orentine glass
| bottles: one interesting rug is the re-
suit of study of an old millefleurs
| tapestry: etchings of Norman feast
| halls have given ideas for beautiful
11replaceS. pictures ana textures nave
| been used to make new and artistic
| playine-card backs; several fashion
plates show that dress designers have
gone to the garbs of ancient priests
| and warriors armor for inspiration.
| One of the most striking pieces of
work is the graphaphone cabinet in
/ spired by world-famous cathedral de-
/ signs. The familiar rose window is
: carved in the front and small figures
| of the saints stand at each corner.
Few of the designs taken from
! r useum originals are exac. copies. nor
are many of them directly from arti-
cles of the same type and class. Ec-
clesia stical vestments and accessories
preserved from the middle ages NAV
serve as the basis of designs for such
worldly things as jewelry cases. wine
| glasses or reading lamps.