Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-05-24
| GOTHAM ARTIST
us EXPONENT
OF A NEW ART
BY FREDERIC J. HAsKIN.

Washington, D. c.. May ga
new and mysterious art, known
and practiced by one man only, is
the decoration of textiles by Aztec
aura. Robert Randolph Walters,
who is well known both in this
country and abroad as portrait
painter, is the exponent of the new
art. He invented the process and
has kept it secret.
An exhibition of these Aztec
aura textiles has just been held al
the Arts club here. They are diff
ferent from any other hand-decor-
ated silks. Tints flow into one an
other in irridescent waves of color,
and then somewhere, perhaps at
each end, there is a shadowy scene
or O vague spray of flowers such
as goldenrod, apple blossoms or
dogwood. The silken draperies
with their changing colors and
elusive pictures are as mysterious
as the process that evolved them.
Mr.. Walters named his new art
after the famous Aztec nantes
made of the rainbow plumage of
humming birds. He saw one of
these NANTES in the British mu-
scum and was fascinated by it, 1t
seemed a pity to him that an art SO
beautiful should be lost, for in the
skillfully matched and shaded plu-
mage of the birds there was lus-
ter and an ethereal quality that he
had never seen in modern hand
work.
1t was practically impossible to
revive the old Aztec specially of
feather work. The Aztecs bred
birds in large numbers in
order to have a perfect color scale
of feathers. Almost every home
had its cages of the tiny, gaily-
colored birds.
Once year the birds were
and the feathers were col
lected by artists who worked on
feather garments. On a cotton
the workers fitted in
the feathers, one at time, in mo-
sale. Naturalistic pictures and
elaborate designs were worked out
by exact placing and matching of
the plumage.
"A high standard was exacted OF
the artists. A special dignitary in
the kings court supervised the
feather work of the state and mis-
takes were not tolerated. The
artists were required to be SO care
full that sometimes an entire day
would be spent in matching and
fitting one feather.
The nantes were highly treas
ured. Kings and chiefs wore them
and sometimes the gods were
dressed in them. In war times
they were exacted as tribute by
enemies. Now only
few time-worn samples OF the AZ
tees skill remain in museums. me
Indians do little feather work
for souvenirs, and tourists buy
these because of the association.
but the art is lost.
The Vision of An Artist.
Mr.. Walters left London for New
York, but in his studio In WASH
ington square he still thought OF the
subtle atmosphere of the Aztec
color work. Artists all about him
were ecstatically turning out batik
snlocks and lampshades, and theJ
naturally began to inquire why he
did not engage in the popular arr
or dyeing with wax. He replied
that he had a vision of something
SO ethereally beautiful that batik
with its erotic colors and set de-
signs had no attraction for MIN
After taking this stand, there was
nothing for him to do but TO try
and reproduce his vision. -,
Three wears ago, he went TO the
artists colony at Woodstock, ana
sat IN work in secret. He spent all
of his time experimenting Win silhs
and coloring methods, hoping a..
ways to produce something sas
would give him the same feenns -
that the old Aztec man.
tie had given him. Evldentiy ne
4 achieved his ambition.
The process, wether IT includes
dveing or painting with OILS or
water colors, he guards care1ulls.
He explains that he has put no.
univ his fortune but his heart anu
ambition into 1t. 1t was evoiveo
out IF his own background ana III
terests. and the method as wen az
the style OF the art is therefore an
expression of his own persohah.y'
Mr.. walters has had varied ex-
perience with the arts. ne nae
been q violin student at Lelpsic, 9
student of painting at Municn any
Paris. and he spent some time az
oxford delving into the classics
and studying the life OF the ancient
Greeks. He invented color organ
to establish note scale OF warm
and cold cnlnrE. and this scale he