Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-08-26
PASQUALE FARlNA
On Art Faking

THE forging OF the old masters works has
l. become so highly developed an industry
that no one but the expert can detect the
original according to PasQualc Farina. an
authority on old masterpieces. Yet, says
Prof. FnrinA. there are limitations ot IN"
fOrgCr or copNist that make 1t possible Tor
one who studies their subject to detect these
frauds.
"No matter how much an artist might
vary his STYLE" says Prof. Farinn. "hc
must, and will lay down, somewhere or
other, in almost every one OF his pictures,
some note Of color or detail that he has
been fond of since he first painted canvas.
This happens more surely if the artist Is
working by inspiration.
"A fOrgcr. used TO copying or initiating,
might lose his tricky characteristics in an
effort to make his copy Il geomctrical rather
than IN artistic work. But he will never
make n copy or imitation 50 perfectly as TO
deceive an expert who devoted himself TO
the study Of the peculiar manner and style
OF any picture under considerations. Thor
ough. careful and close examination by such
MI expert will invariably convince him that
he has before him forged work.
"A genuine picture is in relation to
forged one rs II genuine diamond is in con.
trast with II chemical imitation. II is not
possible for the cOpyiSt o get any such effect
aS absolute freedom of brush movement
especially in high lights. 'ala prima' as the
creator secs his subject ms he spontaneously
produces on the canvas what he sees AT the
very instant of sincere inspiration.
Find Uncertainty Of Treatment
"In the work of the Copyist We find always
certain uncertainty Of treatment which
gives 10 the expert called IN 10 judge the
work u subtle, sudden inspiration that the
picture is an unpleasant whole. Their out
lines lack lirmncss. and often they duplicate
them here and there. We will ever find dull
,.,i,, ;,,tr ,ct,nr in, l,i
lack Of luminosity. too, no matter how
skillful hc is. Artistic history shows MS that
the replica never equals the original picture.
I'm spite Of the fast that many friends
of dead American nrtists\nrC still living. that
their pictures are popular in this country
and that the collCctOrs-nrc more or less in
tcligpnt COnnOsseurs of the technique, style
and manner of each, the forgcr of American
paintings did not hesitate to produce spcci-
mems Of work by. Homer Martin, Inness
: and NHant,
account accepts and sells the imitation as
genuine knowing at the same tme-espc-
chilly when they are forged at his order
that he is exploiting tho good faith of the
buyer for his own exclusive benefit.
''In view of such clever but dishonest
practices in connection with the production
of untive works of art, wo should not be
SURPRISED to notice so many spurious old
mnStcrS in public and private collections.
'ln European art galleries we see some
Of the pictures very dark, almost coorIcss,
or Of dirty, smoky, indefinite, brown
yellow tonality, which causes them to ap-
pear as though covered by II mysterious veil
This. we arc assured. is the effect Of the
'ravagcs Of time BY an effort of the
imagination We try to perceive, beneath this
covering. some Of those ideal pictorial quail
tics about which we have read SO much in
art books of all descriptions
'Thc remainder of the collection. con-
Nituting 90 per cent Of 1t, in spite of being
equally brown in tint, is sufficiently clear
to enable any one to readily distinguish the
composition of the subject, the composition
as a whole and the outlines of the figures
or those of any other object portrayed, ac-
cording to their genre in painting. In this
country, on the contrary, we find not IA few
bur very many toned down to complete
black.
"Thc 'ravages of time never, absolutely
never. reduces any painting, no matter how
primitive il may be. to 50 dark tone as
To make it almost impossible to discover
what was the object conceived. or what
kind of coors were used by the original
painter.
'"rhe blackcning of picture to such a
dark tone is due solely. 10 a very old prac-
tice of 'toning It down with the result that
those who look at it have very confused.