The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-10-09

N scum Of Art In New York put on
exhibition number. of paintings
labeled "Modernistic Art" These included
a number of examples of "cubists," "color.
lists" and other types Of what is loosely
called "The New Art" AS the Metropoli,
tan Museum stands for academic stand
ards, "old Masters" and the generally rec
ognized forms OF sane painting, the exhi-
bition caused much comment.
But after It had been open for a couple
of weeks the art world of America was
attacks ever levcled against an exhibition
of pictures. This attack took the form of
an anonymous circular which was widely
distributed in New York, Philadelphia and
other Eastern cities, labelling the majority
of the pictures as degenerate and "neu-
rotic." and protesting against them being
put on exhibition because of their influence
upon the morals and intelligence, II not
the actual health. Of the beholders. .es
There was inherent evidence in the docu.
ment that trained men OF medicine had
been factors in its production An urgent
appeal was made to "all persons having at
heart the welfare Of our community and
Of the nation ID write to the authorities of
the Museum Of Art expressing their dis
approval of the present exhibition as hav.
ing a destructive influence in both art and
life"
Among the artists represented and who
were especially censured were Paul Ce-
IL Dahl anI
Pierre Gauguin, the distinguished French
artist who has made his home in the South
Sea Islands, so charmingly written of re-
Gently by various imaginative travellers.
Some of the pictures were censured "as
particularly disquieting works showing
mental or moral eclipse" Others-among
them that of Gauguin and that of Picasso
shown on this page-were described as
pathological IN conception, drawing per-
spective and color"
The pamphlet attributed the production
of these new art pictures" to the follow.
ing three extraordinary causes:
"First-The world. wide Bolshevist .propa-
ganda. This aims to overthrow and de-
stroy all existing social systems, including
that of the arts. This modernistic degener-
ate cult is simply the Bolshevik philosophy
applied in art. The triumph Of Bolshevism,
therefore, means the destruction of the
present aesthetic system, the transporta-
ton Of all aesthetic values and the deifica-
ton Of ugliness. The philosophy Of Boil
shevism as applied to all channels ,of hu-
man action is the gospel Of mental impo-
tence, sweeping sway all standards OF dis
cipline and training necessary to the equip
ment Of capable men as we'll as artists.
Hence the Bolskevists would open the
gates Of the temple Of art to the mentally
lame, halt and blind of the human race.
And II is evident that one Of the salient
features Of the present exhibition is its
direct appeal 10 and assertion Of the Boil
shevic philosophy in art
1.-THE second moving force back Of the
Modernistic movement in art Is human
greed. The whole propaganda Of this move
ment," ID declares, was organized by
coterie OF European art dealers who had
saturated the American market with French
and Dutch pot boilers. But the real cult
of Modernism" the circular declares, "be-
gan with a small group Of neurotic ego
maniacs in Paris who styled themselves
worshippers of Satan the God Of Ugliness.
"The third moving force of Modernistic
art" the pamphlet continued, lis a we'll
known form OF insanity. One symptom Is
a deterioration OF the optic nerve, whereby
all values and proportions are transposed.
An artist so, affected will represent the
lines In architecture, In tables, chairs and
interiors as IL radiating from the centre
of vision instead Of converging at the van
ishing point on the distant horizon. Thus
the principle OF perspective is completely
reversed, and the vanishing point Ia In the
eye OF the spectator instead OF on the
horizon. ...
"This peculiar type of visual derange-
ment has been noted and explained by
some alienists OF the FIRST rank. Their
diagnosis has been confirmed by examples
Of the drawings of insane people in asyl-
ums, which are Identical IN respect TO
visual arrangement with pictures exhibited
In the Society Of Independent Artists, also