New-York tribune., 1919-04-24
A Living American Art


lcan intclligentsia lifts his voice to be-
all the artistic shortcomings of his coun-
try. This and that are horribly obnox-
lous, taste is restricted to the Very Few.
and the influence Of democracy upon art
is necessarily and hopelessly evil.
The criticisms are usually accurate as
far as they go and the reader assimilates
much gloom in consequence The gloom
may be tempered by some irritation and
q blind sense Of disagreement. But when
such wise and exclusive souls speak who
is any one to contradict? Therefore II
is refreshingly delightful to find a set of
facts brazeny and undebatably contra
dieting these croakers for us, as happens
to-day on certain American stage in
our own city. We mean the play of 'Thc
JEST as rare and beautiful a work of
art IN every American contribution to its
production as our city or any city could
hope to see; and, for the contradiction of
our dismal critics, turning away a good
slice of demos at every performance.
We do not argue that the excellent art
OF the show is its only attraction. The
play itself is melodrama and there is
much drawing power in the cast. But
the fact beyond avoidance is that we
have here production in frankly com
mercial and successful theatre utilizjng
the last word in scenery and lighting
ana the sum OF stage presentation and
acheVlng IN these fields an artistic sue
cess of the first rank The theatre is
not pocket show or fad. Every night
over a thousand supposedly inartictic
Americans are giving up real money to
see more beauty and craftsmanship than
most Of our self-conscious little maya
zlnes, for instance, contain in year.
This result did not arrive in day
Every one of our little theatres. East
and West, deserves its share of credit
dozen American designers of scenery
have built up the substantial art that
made such a production conceivable. Our
exotic lntroductlons to the new art of
the theatre, the work Of Rnehardt and
Bakst, especially the Russian ballet
trained the publc's eyes. In a sense we
We're slow to advance, the exotics re-
manned eXotics, most scenery went ON
painting itself much as before Yet the
leaVen was working, and working sound
ly toward genuinely American expires
SION This year saw a series of produc
tons in the new spirit At the BOURGEOIS
galleries this month there is beautiful
and interesting exhibition cf these de-
signs, representing a dozen men, sum
marizlng IN striking fashion the progress
OF the new scenery.
The art of Mr., Robert Edmond Jones
IN "fhc Jest deserves the leadership
that has been accorded It, Il is easy
to make n fetish OF the now stare
theories and lose all IN pursuit of them
play actors, public, 1t is AIR. Jones's
Nl't to utilize every now means of scenic
production, of light, of vibrating color,
OF simplicity, of symbolism, to serve the
one end of making tine play live. Tho
spirit IS exactly that Of NJ. ,lacoucs
Oopeau, as it happens. There is no rule.
ne solldest materials stand side by side
with the flimsicst. For one play severity
is the word, for another delicacv. M
Copcau is an actor and his productions
are born Of that spirit Of the artisan
which must lie behind all great art. Mr..
Jones paints much of his scenery him
self; 1t grows in the atmosphere of the
play; it is never beauty for its own sake
but always beauty toward the one end
1T is an integral part of that most ex-
traordinarily complex of all works of
art, an acted play.
How far will the new art go? 1t is one
OF the excelencies of democracy for
artistic purposes that it forms taste ran
1dly. The American people have been
relatively unscnsitive to the visible arts
The written and spoken word has had
lar more power than any color or line
George AIDE has been as great as orr
suburban architecture has been awful
Inc turn has come all along the limo
from homes to Office buildings. And vc
suspect that the theatre is destined ~
count most of all. 1t is our most nonn-
lar art. 1T can train eyes to beautv Inv
the thousand 1t is already doinp 90