The Washington herald., 1921-04-04
CHICAGO DECORATOR
PLEADS ART CAUSE.

PLEADS ART CAUSE.
Greater recognition must be Civ
en- the fihe arts and their creators
by the United States government IL
this country Is to take front rank
among the cultural leaders of the
Garth, Ralph Parsons, of Chicago,
interior decorator. said yesterday
at the New willard.
with few exceptions, our public
buildings are ugly" said Parsons.
fand in many Of our largest cities
inartistic sculptured groups are the
object of derision by Europeans
who visit this country. 1t Is only
within the last twenty-five years
that we have produced anything no.
table in the architecture OF our
municipal and country buildings"
NEW YORK OFFERS
ART OPPORTUNITIES.
Parsons says that New York City
affords splendid opportunity to the
student of art
The New York City Hall, the
old one, consider the most beau
tiful building in that great city"
said Parsons. "All students of art
and architecture should pay It a
visit. 1t was erected between 1903
and 1912 (restored 1s0S-15) from the
plans of John McComb. The cir
cular staircase within the building
is a thing of unparalleled grace
and beauty. quite reminiscent of
your own octagon building in WASH
ington. Within the building are
some of the finest examples of early
American portrait painting, includ-
ing works of Thomas Sully, s. F. B.
Morse, John TrumbulI, John Van
derlyn and others.
rand then in the park near the
entrance to the city hall stands the
statue of Nathan Hale that has
been called the foremost piece of
bronze portraiture in America. In
executing this work the artist,
Frederick MacMonnies, choose the
supreme moment of the patriots
life. The artist once said Of the
statue: Il wanted to make some
thing that would set the bootblacks
and little clerks around there
thinking-son nething that would
make them want to be somebody
and to fnd life worth living.
METROPOLITAN MUSEUM
DELIGHTS ART LOVERS.
But it is the Metropolitan Mu.
scum OF Art above all else in New
York that must always delight the
art student and the lover of art
Parsons says.
TT is only possible to hint at the
vast store of beauty and wealth OF
craftsmanship which make DIP the
contents Of the series of galleries
that make up the metropolitan
Museum of Art" said Parsons.
II always find the Tomb OF
Pernab,' which is the largest single
object exhibited. IL Ut the Oldest
object. unusually fasfnating, with
it's associations of the Nile and tho
Pharaohs. Transported in its en-
! tirety from Memphis. where it for.
merly stood, 1t is the tomb of ar
Egyptian dignitary who lived about
265e B. c.. This is but one of the
hundreds OF remarkable objects In
the series of rooms which contain
the extensive Egyptian collection:
EXAMPLES OFFERED
IN ARMOR GALLERY.
For those interested in medieva
armor. the armor galleries offer I'm,
| examples of the accouterments o.
the old-time warrior. During th'
| war the armorer of the Metropolitan
Museum was asked to give his serv
ices to the War Department, anc
was of great assistance in devisint
| a modern armor which was uset
during the last months of the wa
by the American. machine gunners
He is of an old French family o.
aFmorers who handed down the ar
| from one generation to another 70
| hundreds of years.
Another world, completely. is tn,
endless series of picture galleries
with their treasures CLEANED from
the worlds greatest masterpieces
Probably of all the famous paint
ings in the Metropolitan Museum
the one that is most popularl!
known throughout the United State
| is The Horse Fair" of Rosa Bon
heur. which is a conspicuous objec
in one of the galleries on the sec
ond floor"
NEW YORK FURNISHES
FUNDS OF INSPIRATION.
New York has many ugly build
ings and many unsightly streets
but it Is trdly the center of art Ii
America, Parsons reminds. 1t 4
the dream of the art student, VIII,
once there has an endless fund o
inspiration at his command.
| II never shall forget my first sigh
Of New York City obtained whil
going across by ferry at night froR
Jersey City to Long Island" sal,
Parsons.
Seeing the lowered end of Man
haitian for the first time, with a.
occasional lighted dot, representing
one of the windows of an offic
building, l was disappointed at tn
small space occupied by the city
| But as We continued down tn
bay and New York began to clos
in around us, and then, crossing un
der the bridges, Greater New Yorl
began to surround us, until a
length we were completely lost Il
an overwhelming circle Of dimly
outlined shapes and glimmerin
lights-then, indeed. did We reaIiz
the overwhelming vastness of thi