Arizona republican., 1921-05-23

he must go abroad in order to see the work of his great contemporaries and to get instruction from them. The young writer can at least find in American libraries most of the books he needs, though American prudery will check his researches in some directions. But there is no col lection of paintings in the United States which will serve the Ameri- can painter as the library of con gress, for example, will serve the writer and student. The United States government has one small room in it's national museum devoted to painting and little of value is in it. The Metropolitan museum of art in New York, MT Pennell says. is a great historical collection of art. as a museum is supposed to be. but it does not open it's doors to the con temporary art of the world.
 As result of this situation, neith- CT the great artists of Europe nor their pictures come to America, and the American painter is forced to go to Europe in search of both. Once there. he finds so much more in the way of instruction and appreciation than he can find at home that he is very apt to stay.
 A National Art Center The remedy that Mir. Pennell pro- poses for this situation is the estab- | lishment of a national department of fine arts. It would not be an in novation in governmental method. America. he says. is the only civilized country in the world in which gov ernment does nothing to promote art | He says further that the nucleus Of | such a department exists in our fine arts commission, a body which has done remarkably good work with small powers and funds. Mir. Penneli would have this body give jurisdic- | tion over a great American gallery of art in connection with which would be conducted a government school of art. The most promising students | in this school would be sent to Eu- | rope to complete their educations and would then repay the government by becoming instructors in the school for a period of years In this way Amer | ican talent would be developed, and | would be given inducements to stay | in America. Furthermore. the ex- hibitions and lectures in the gallery would lay the foundations of sound artistic taste in America. It would be great educational institution for the general public as well as for the stu dents of art
 
 gallery and art school would be a great advertisement for the United States in general. and for the capital city in particular. It would be a Tive" gallery. open to all the art of the world. Great European artists would some here to exhibit and to sell their pictures to rich Americans. The whole art world would flock to Wash | ington at certain times, as it now flocks to London and Paris. The world of intellect and taste would be- | come aware of America. Distin . guished visitors, with all that they bring in the way of wealth and op- portunity, would be attracted to the capital of the United States. Wash | ington might then begin to take its place among the real capitals of civi- lization, which are world centers of intellectual and social fife.
 That such a center of intellectual and social life is one thing this coun- try sadly lacks was pointed out by John Galsworthy, the famous British novelist, who recently visited Amer ica. It is interesting to note that just as Mr Pennell emphasizes the need for making Washington an art l center, Mir. Galsworthy believes that it must become the literary capital | of America
 '1 can conceive of no possible lit erary center for America. except Washington" he writes. Any other important town would be jealously denounced by all the other important towns"
 The same is true of Washington as an art center. The whole country could take pride in il.
 Since George Washington's time, g physically beautiful city has beer created here out Of a mud flat. Per haps the task of the coming genera tions is to create an intellectual cap ital for America out of an intellectual void.