The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1921-03-04

| CAUSE Missouri mas inner IHuTdl uSCOTH
tions than any other State Capitol il
America For half century Nilsson
ri has been the butt of Eastern ridi
cule. But when it became known tina
we were decorating our new Capito
building with the works of Brangwyn
Wyeth, Richard Miller and the rest o.
that brilliant cotorie of first ranl
artists, the East decided that it would
reconstruct its ideas of Missouri.
"And now comes a State Senator
who, either ignorantly or maliciouslS
throws the fat into the fire. Senator
Irwin, according to his own statement
does not know whether Benton is
| speaking or merely posing. For
sooth the artist must paint a string OF
words issuing from the mouth of the
statesman: "There is the East! there
lies india" emblazoned in gold letters
across the canvas, as the cartoonist
runs a line of WOW, WOW, vows from
the mouth of crying baby, so that
the reader with no imagination will
understand that the baby is actually
crying, not merely opening his mouth
and pickering up his face for the sake
of looking funny.
Senator Irwin Not an Art Critic
"The Senator admits that he doesn't
know anything about art. He also
admits that to common country law
yer these pictures don't mean any,
thing. Suppose Richard Miller should
criticise Senator Twins conduct of a
case in the Cole county court, with the
admission: 4 don't know anything
about lew, but to an artist your argu-
ments don't mean a thing The point
at issue is plainly put by Senator Nc
Cullough when he replied, in a spirit
of disgust to the stupid quibbling of
Irwin, but our own Senator Blodgett,
who surely ought to have known bet
ter: No man who has an idea of
what these pictures stand for would
undertake to say they know exactly
what. happened. The visualize events
in the history of this great state And
he furthered his brief but pointed
speech with: Coming generations will
view these pictures understandingly
and will remark on our foresight. He
who only criticises and cannot create
something better, should not be lis
tened to here
"The Miller panels seem to have
come in for more abuse than any Of
the other decorations, probably be-
cause they are in the Senate chamber
where the humorists could see them.
The country lawyer does not know
that Richard Miller had the problem
of filling space 19 feet high, mar
row panel, with figures representing
a specific incident. He knows that
there was an area to be decorated be-
cause he has it before his eyes as he
puts his childish questions concerning
the figures in the foreground. But he
does not know that the artist was con-
fronted with one of the most difficult
problems in composition that could
be offered the decorator. Had the
panel been reversed in its proportions,
low and wide, there would have been
little difficulty in filling the space.
But here the entire interest must be
in the lower half of
very tall composition and yet the up
per half must not look bare and I'M
interesting.
Missouri Not a "Rube" State
"The portraits of the historical
characters in these two pictures were
painted with the most metriculous
care, This the Art Advocate happens
to know. All the authentic portraits,
prints, wooden cuts, and marble busts
Of Benton and the others were stud 4,
ed, measured for proportions, photo
graphed and reproductions taken to
Provincetown, where Mr.. Miller has
MS studio. No one has ever alleged |
hat Richard Miller cannot produce a !
LIKENESS of his subject. 1t is because
he is such an excellent draughtsman
hat he is such an eminently success
Jul portrait painter. And his tech
lique is a marvel even to the greatest
American artists who visit his studio
Turing the summer months. Frank
Nudesschen who was with Miller in |
orovincetown last summer, heard sew
,ral of the big guns in the art world |
,xclaim when they watched Miller at |
work on this very Benton panel: You |
iont mean that stunning thing is 60
ng to Missouri; can those rubes un-
lerstand art?'
"Of course Miller and Nuderscher |
defended their native state. But to |
What end? To have the speeches of |
senator's Irwin and Blodgett copied |
III over the country and the intelli-
rent people of Missouri stamped with
he same brand. 1t is probable that
ounty legislators in almost any other
tate would be as obtuse to art; but
n any other state it would not matter
o much. Cher states have not SO
much of the backwoods stigma to
'eep down, In the speech of Senator
there is one grain of COM
ort. Future generations will look
t the decorations on our State Capt.
oil and will say: Well, it must have
een all a mistake about Missouri be-
ng the champion rube state of the
nion. These pictures give the lie to
hat old Islander. If Missouri had been
hat type Of state it's art commission
you'd have adorned the walls of the
ew Capitol building with crude illus
rations that any country lawyer
ould understand. The men who spon-
ored this work had visions and knowl-
dge'."
LEADWOOD II
Espy E. Jackson, formerly of this |
lace, but now living at Maplewood,
To-, was in Leadw0od Friday shak-
10 hands with old fripnds