The Sun. [volume] (Price, Utah) 1915-1932, 1919-07-11
ANTIQUITY OF DECORATIVE ART
Strange Sources From Which Modern
Paints Are Derived.

fully as knotty as the ancient one about
the relative time Of arrival Of the
chicken or the egg II was invented.
though. and II serves both purposes
equally; ~ whether II Is an offspring
Of mother necessity or au adopted son
Of beauty remains forever q disputed
question.
The first men. covering under the
fierce and glarlnE suns VI the biblical
countries. constructed rude huis "
wood to shelter them. The perishable
nature Of these structures caused rapid
decay. and u II probable that the Oc.
cupants. seeking some ARTIFICIAL means
Of preservation. hlt upon the pigments
Of the earth In their search. II j. per.
haps natural 70 suppose that u was
the instinct Of preservation that led
men 20 the search. alt, ough the glorles
Of the sunsets and the beauties Of the
rainbow may have created y desire 10
initiate those wonders In their $50
dwelling
The earliest record Of the applicn.
ton ~ prcscryative to q wooden
structure dates from the ark. which
was. according 10 the Bible. pitched
Nithln and without" The pitch was q
triumph " preservation whatever u
lacked M thing ~ beauty.
Decoration applied To buildings first
comes ~ light with nncicnt Babylon.
whose walls we're covered with rvprc.
sensations ~ hunting scenes and ~
combat These were done in rel mud
the method followed was to palut thr
scene on the bricks OF the time ~
manufacture. assuring permnnoncr hy
baking strictly speaking. this WIS
not painting .n much M IL WIS The
earliest manifestation Of our own H..
mllior krlsumIuiug
The first Hebrew lee mention puiut.
ing is Moses. IN the thlriy.third chap.
tor ~ tho book ~ Numbers he iu.
structs 90" lsruclltcs. "Whrn ye hnyc
passed over tho Jordan into the land
~ Canaan. then shall ye drive ont all
the inhabitants ~ the land frum be-.
Fore you mud destroy all their pic.
lures
Al later periods the Jews adopted
many customs ~ the peoples WIN sue
ccssiyely ohiniued power over them
and ~ the npo'ryphai book ot the
Macrnbrrs h. found thl. niluaiun a.
the art ~ decorating, "Fur ~ the mas
Ter builder ~ now house must care
FOR the whole building hut be- that
undertaken 10 set Il out aud paint H..
must seek out thing, for the ndornlng
thereof
Although Homer gives credit 10 n
Greek Ter The discovery ~ paint. the
illusions tu ID In the h0oks of Mozc..
the painted mummy eases of the Egyp.
tlans nnd a." decorated walls of nary
Ion aud Thrbcs On H. origu ut -
period long nntcrrdrnt 10 tho Grcclnn
era. The walls ~ Thrbcs Wcrr paint
cd 1890 years befur, the coming of
Christ and W'd Year, before 'Omef
smulr his hluomin Tyre"
The Greeks recognized the value OF
paint o., prrsrnHtl,r and made use
n something Aklu iu h ou their ships
l'llnN writes uf thr mudr uf boiling
WA aud painting ships With BE-. after
which. he continues, "urIiher me sea.
nor the Wlud. nor thr sun can destroy
The wood thus protected"
The Romans. hr.ug essentially
WRrllkr people, never brought the dee.
Grafton ~ buildings to the high plane
u had reached with the Greeks For
all that The ruins ~ romprIi show
many structures whose mural iecora.
lions Hre In fair shape today. The
colors used we're glarlng 4 black
background Was the usual one aud the
combinations worked thereon red. vel.
IoN and blue
Ia the early Christian era the use 81
mosalcs for churches somewhat sun.
planted mural painting SIN, during
The reign ~ lusiinIau tie Church Of
Saint sophia wns built az Constantine.
pie and IN wallis we're adorned with
paintings
Ia modern time, the Use. uf naint
have rome 10 he m numerous rs It's
myriad shades and Iints Paint is
unique In That IN name .ins no syuo.
nym aud fnr 70 there is no substitute
material Bread rs the stan ~ life. but
paint Il The life NJ rhe stan
No one thinks ~ the sXtrriur ~ q
wooden building now except Boo terms
~ paint coated INTERIOR. too from
painted wallis ana stained furniture
down to the ioNl.rst kitchen uienslI.
an receive their protective covering
Steel, So often associated with cement
reinforcing, b. PAINTED before 30 goes
10 give soliiiiN tn the manufactured
stone The huge gIrirr- ~ lhe Ky.
scupers are daubed un uglN bu, eLI,
Client red underneath the sIrnrr cont
81 black Perhaps the hest ezample
OF the value of paint uu Steel Is found
IN the venerable brooklyn hrldsc. on
which q gang of painters is kcpt go.
ing continually u n scarce possible
20 think Of single manufactured ar.
ticle which does not meet paint some.
where In the course ~ lls coustrue.
tion. So has paint grown into the
very marrow ~ our lives