The New York herald., 1920-01-18
NEW YQRKS AQTGALLERIES ~
C%SB Frederick James Gregg &k
JOSEPH PENNELL
.D|sCOURsEs UPON
CRITICS AND PUBLIC

Since tho world began there have only
been two supreme etchers-Rembrandt and
Whistler am not sure that there have
even been twD--but 7 am sure that the
latter artist is the greater etcher." 1t
is thus tia, the distinguished Joseph PEN
nell, of Philadelphia, New York. Paris,
London. and everywhere, opens the intro
duction to his monumental ''Etchers and
Etching,' which contains. In ad1uon to
a history OF the art, technical e1plana-
tons of methods ancient and modern.
Not only has Mr. Penneu the great and
unusual gift OF exposition but the good
fairy who was present his birth added
another choice endowunent-the lack OF
which keeps many good men in state OF
obscurity for tho period of their lives,
and perhaps for ever-he knows the trick
of attracting public attention. Yet 1t is
never for his own sake that he is assertive.
but always on behalf of the arts and
the one artist who is the object OF his
continued devotion
He is naturally silent, kindly, generous
in his judgments, charitable to the stupid
and indulgent toward those who are sue
cessful without deserving it.
He might describe himself In para
phrase or the declaration of the late Sir
JOHN Falstaff, as being Joe to his friends,
Joseph 10 his family, and Mr.. Joseph
Pennell to the world" The mocking face
in Whistlers lithograph, showing him in
a Russian cloak. is nothing but disguise,
la mask worn to hide the beautiful nature
behind II.
ANY account Of the career Of Mr.. PEN
nell would be the story of a great dis
cipleship. There is nothing like 1t In
art and only one notable parallel In liter
adulation of DR.. Samuel john
son, by James Boswell. 1t is easy to
imagine the almost early Christian forti-
tude with which this sanity Joseph en-
dured the insults the kicks and cuffs
the bad manners and the worse tongue
cf the impossible. vain. little gentleman
who was also one of the geniuses of the
age. Some men forget. but do not forgive.
Others forgive, out do not forget MT.
Penneu has forgiven Whistler everything,
but forgotten nothing.
Mr. Penneil has never hated anybody in
his life. except as matter OF principle.
If he dislikes critics. for example ~ Is
quite contrary to his natural inclination,
and simply out OF loyalty to James MCNEIL
Whistler. The master was of the opinion
that nobody had any right to have an opin-
ion on any branch Of tho fine arts which
he could not practise. The disciple has
found it necessary to live up to this theory,
in spite OF the fact that it gives him great
pain to do So.
II is easy to imagine tho psin that 1t
course OF lecture on his own work, at the
metropolitan Museum of Art, he had TO
say:--"Its n perfect scandal for the critics
OF New York to attempt to tell us what is
good and what is bad. There never has
been a great art critic who was not an
artist himself, and the critics here GER
tainly are not artists" As a result he de-
clared that America was becoming art
less and savage ard altogether unappre-
ciatiye of work that is really worth while"
Strange to say. this was received with
great applause.
In fact, so thorough is Mr.. PennelFs
belief in the Whistlerian working hypoth-
esis that he would never think of ac-
cepting the Johnsonian view that il was
not necessary for man to be a cobbler
in order to tell good pair OF boots
from a bad pair. Non would he admit
for q moment that one could be
Shakesperian expert without being able
to write a play, or to be real economist
without being business man. He would
reject utterly the contention of Arthur
Il. Davies that the critic may be an artist
in what he writes, as the fact that mill
tary strategy was improved by a layman-
But in all justice to Mr.. Pennell, it is
to be noted that IL he-stll following
the Whistler tradtion-has no respect for
the critics, he has still less-also still
following the same lead-for those who
cheer his utterances, judging from this
casual remark about n late disturbance.
on page Il of his treatise-"the public
has no opinions, no ideas, no courage.
or there would not have been this damn
able, commercial shopkeeping war"
Philadelphia may scatter honorary
degrees and withhold one from Mr.. PEN
nell after offering him n doctors hood.
printers may doubt his authority in the
matter of typography. and governments
that had given him every opportunity to
go where he liked and when he liked.
may frown at his name. But what would
the world do without him? He always
says something when he talks. He knows
his business and he etches a little and
makes lithograpns when he is not other
wise, or more profitably engaged.