The Washington times., 1922-07-30
NATIONS HISTORY
RECORDED BY
ITS ART
Ellie Faure Tells Why Mankind
Embodies Culture in Paint
ing and Sculpture-Attri-
butte of Race Rather Than
Individual.

~ HE exotic and stirring life
development OF India, China,
Il Japan, the Tropics, Byzan-
tium, Islam, as well as the Chris
tian countries, is interpreted by
Ellie Faure In the second volume
of his History of Art" translated
from the French by Walter Pach
(Harper & Brosl. This volume,
"Mediaeval Art" is perhaps even
more of an epic than it's prede-
cessor, Ancient Art" which was
received with such great enthusi-
asm last fall in England and
America.
Ellie Faure is not only one Of the
most profound thinkers and fore.
most living authorities on art and
archaeology today, but he is a
gifted story-teller, who makes ma,
tions live and reveal their religion.
customs and essential character:
istics through their art. The emf,
rent Frenchman has done a new
thing. therefore. He relates why,
not how, man constructs works OF
art; he shows art to be an expires
sion of the race, not of the ind.
vidual artist. He tells why the
art of the Middle Ages is distin.
guished by its "prodigious accent
of confused liberty. it's drunken
and fecund rush into the fields Of
sensation. its carelessness as to
spoken language, provided that
language express something. its
disordered mixture OF feelings
springing from the contact OF the
soul with the world, in the naked
strength of instinct"
And. right here. an important
point should be made. Medieval
Art" can be read with fascinated
interest by those both within and
without the charmed circle of art
folk.
Come with NJ. Faure into India,
where the sensual richness OF tho
south. purified by the metaphysi-
cal spirit and rarified by the aristo.
cratic spirit. is found again in the
details of ornament in the sane.
aries, as soon as one has crossed
cir threshold"
There are temples stuffed with
gods Of silver and gold, whose eyes
are rubies or diamonds. Drops OF
fire gleam in the shadows ."
NJ. Faure tells why Indian ar.
Is so heavily ornamented; how
Buddhism left It's mark on the
temples OF India: how the Indian
soul wandered on. eternally bal.
anced between its heroisrn and its
sensuality.
Then penetrate. with NJ. Faure,
the heart Of China. which has
never come out OF its own Middle
Ages"
THE European world turns.
with all its instinct, toward the fu.
ture. The Chinese world, with all
its consciousness, turns toward the
past. Therein lies the gulf which,
perhaps, cannot be crossed"
NJ. Faure interprets. clearly, this
mysterious people in explaining
their aims in art-an art which is
preconceived and artificial, but
which can also attain to essential
and profound beauty, gathering
into its triumphal symphonies the
strange flowers Of the Orient.
The only point held in common
by Japanese art and Chinese art
is an egotism and jealousy which
prompts both nations to keep their
conquests to themselves, giving ou:
only transfigured image Of them.
ITO the degree that China is d
single block, slow in movement.
secretive. and heavy, Japan-ner.
vous, tense in movement like tho
twisted cedars Of its forests-is
mobile and ready for innovation"
NJ. Faure foresees an end of the
present Japanese art life.
"Yosai still addresses a discreet.
melancholy, and pure farewell to
the kimono.clad women who pass
before the backgrounds of lowered
branches-and the end has come.
The revolution that throws Japan
into the path Of the Occident bru-
tally extinguishes its art life"
But, to quote further, "the soul
OF a people cannot die entirely
while the people Is still living. AL
ready some OF her artists seem to
be reviving, to be finding again
the spirit Of their race, broadencd
and renewed by the thought OF the
Occident. One day, certainly 4
great art vii, be born of that meet.
ing"
In the latter part of this second
great volume, M. Faure sets forth,
with mastery analysis, a fine con.
ception Of medieval art with REF.
erence to the Gothic, Christianity,
and the Commune, the Mission OF
Francis OF Assist.