The Topeka state journal., 1921-04-30
GLEANiNeS
-<FRoH THE
ElEEn noFART
ABy@rl PBdmdr

A phase of art which is slowly but
surely pushing to the front and to rec
ognition is art Photography t
Few persons look upon a photo
graph as a work of art, and indeed
many photographs are not works of
art, simply because, the photographed
was content to make merely a likeness
of the person or object at which his
camera was pointed. He expended a
little thought and energy perhaps on
seeing that the subject was properly
lighted to obtain a clear image. and
maybe, provided with some sort of a
conventional background of alleged
artistic merit. Then the victim was
told to look pleasant while the oper-
ator squeezed the bulb or pulled off
the brass cap
With first class photographer to-
day. things are quite different. The
photographer aims to produce a beau
tiful picture as we'll a good like
ness. He endeavorS to show in his
finished work some of the qualities
found in a good painting or drawing
such as masSing of light and shadow
balance of design and composition,
suppression of unimportant detail,
color value, poetry, romance and suf-
ficient mystery to stimulate the imag-
ination.
A person may have a keenly artistic
soul, be a good Judge of the qualities
that make up good picture, and yet
be unable to express himself with a
pen. pencil or a brush. If he can
make camera express his feelings
e and appreciations why is he not an
artist just as much as the person who
paints or draws? He controls the
camera and manipulates the chemical
processes in order to get artistic re-
suits, exactly as the painter manipu-
lHtes his brushes and colors to the
same end.
ARTS and Decoration for this
month contains article on art
photography entitled Art and the
Machine" by Charles Albin. The arti-
Gle is illustrated with several half tone
reproductions of exquisite art portrait
photographs by the author.
Mr.. Albin says: Those critics who
have maintained a belief in the in
herently inartistic nature of a photo
graph, even in the face of an ever
widening field of Photographic
achievement, have looked too much at
man who makes pictures with it" He
Believes that photography should be
termed the Eighth Art.
There are several photograp pliers in
Topeka who thru the nature and the
quality of their work, should be in
oiuded among the number of local
artists, and should be encoura ged by
Topeka art associations to make a
public exhibition of their work.
New York City adds to her art
treasures steadily, altho slowly, due to.
the regulations in foreign countries
against expectation. Titians famous
"The Man With the Falcon has just
been purchased for 100000 by a New
York art firm, from a Berlin collector.
An exhibition showing the use of
art in advertising was held at the Di-
rector's art club, New York City,
March to 81, Inclusive. I Among the
artists whose work was exhibited were
Neysa McMeiu. Henry Raleigh, F. G..
Chapman, Franklin Booth, c. c. Beall,
Mary MacKinnon and W. e. Heitland.
1t is now quite common for large
corporations and firms manufacturing
well known articles to use in the ad-
vertising of their products handsome
drawings and paintings by illustrators
and painters of the first rank, for
which they pay large sums. These
dra awnings are often not defaced in
any way by lettering. but merely ac-
company the printed text of the adver-
fisement. The subject of the drawing
being such as to suggest the use of the
commodity which is being advertised.
There is pretty well founded
rumor that one of the best landscapes
in the American Federation of Arts
exhibition which Just closed at Wash
burn college, will be purchased by sub
scription for the college art collection.
Most of the pictures in the exhibition
were for sale. but none sold can be
delivered until the exhibition tour is
ended. The pictures were sent to Ann
Arbor. Mich, from Topeka. There was
q marked increase of attendance at
the exhibition during the second week.