The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1921-10-14

The first thing 10 establish in our
minds in order TO arrive at the de
sired point of an artistic, comfortable
home is standard of appreciation.
In order to be able to put the right
thing in the right place we must
know when we have the right thing
And it is sometimes difficult to &C
quire that knowledge Some know by
instinct, others must learn. But there
is invariably a real reason for the
choice. This knowledge is found in
appreciation.
How are we going to learn to ap-
preciate the true value, the correct
ness Of selection, the appropriateness
of things? The best way is to make
use of ONE faculty that of seeing.
One may learn much thru observation.
And when you look, judge criti-
cize! Criticize CONstructively as well
as DEstructively. Don't say, 81 don't
like that Why don't you like it?
What would you put in its place?
Experience will soon teach you what
you would put there. Often we know
what we do not like, even if we don't
know what We DO like. The process
of elimination is valuable to start on
and build up from. For we soon learn
what we want by eliminating what
we do not want.
All art has the same basic prin-
ciple- whether it is music, painting,
architecture. sculpture, poetry, drama
or dancing For instance, we find the
principle of repetition a dominant
factor in architecture where a series
of lines and spaces is formed into a
unit repeated to make a moulding or
frieze. By this grouping we get
rhythmic effect which carries the eye
along from one group to the next.
In painting, one note of color IS re
peated in different parts of the pic
ture to carry our eye to the point of
interest In poetry, the repetition of
a bar of metre effects a sense of
rhythm. In this is involved the sub
ordination of one unit to the whole
an excellent thing to know how to do.
Balance is the adjustment of pro
portion in equal parts. Bilateral sym
metry occurs when the opposing
parts are Identical Occult" balance
occurs in the use of unidentical OBJ
iects. For instance, chair is bilat-
orally symmetrical We should hate
to try to set on a lop-sided chair.
A pitcher Is not bilaterally SYM
metrical- but the handle balances
the nose, so that the proportion is
good.
In selecting such small thing as
a pitcher, we first want to know If
it pours. OF course! But we also
want to know if it is pleasing to the
eye. Is the outline good in proportion,
are the lines graceful? The same
way with a table, or chair Is 1t
proportional as we'll as comfort
able? Are the feet too heavy for the
rest of the design? Is the back the
RIGHT width and height to conform to
the rest of the char, as well as the
right size to rest against? Proportion
is an essential in well-designed
furniture. And we can find no better
examples of we'll proportional furn-
iture than what our grandfathers
used the old Boston" rocker, the
straight back side chairs, the drop
leaf tables with the nicely turned
legs. Think we'll before you part with
these things for new shiny mahogany
or yellow oak that nothing will har-
monte with. They are valuable, both
for their design and suitability.
Learn to look at everything and see
what you are looking at! Look at the
ture, at your china, at the materials
panels on your doors, at your furni-
used in your rooms. Study the pro
portions of each object as a unit and
as related to the room as a whole.
Compare like objects and decide why
one is superior to another, and in
what way. Learn to see and analyze
YOUR observations so that you will
arrive at a standard of values for
future appreciation.