The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-10-28

Photography is fast gaining recog-
milton as a fine art, and more and
more space is being devoted to it by
the leading art publications of the day.
This is so despite of continued oppo-
/ sition from ultra conservative critics
who argue that because a photograph
| is primarily produced by machine
and the action of chemicals. instead
of every detail of the pictures fabrica-
ton being the work of mans hand
directed by the impulses of the mans
| brain, photograph is not legitimate
work of art.
To be sure, a photograph may not
| be a work of art to the same extent,
and in the same way, as painting or
| a drawing, but any person who can
see and appreciate the beauties of ma
! ture, and has the power to record
these beauties in such way that his
| fellow man may also see and enjoy
what he sees, is an artist, and what
he has produced is art.
These critics fail to see that it is the
artistic soul of the man behind the
camera, which directs where the
camera shall point, and selects what
| it shall record, which controls the
pose, lighting etc. of the subject,
which governs the development of
the plate and the making of the print
so that the vision of his mind will be
accurately recorded.
If a photographer may not be an
artist, neither may an etcher, for the
latter also relies to certain extent
on the action of chemicals uncon-
troIled by the continuous working of
the human hand, to get the results for
which he is striving.
A photographer is not an artist,
when he merely follows the stereo-
typed routine of old fashioned COM
mercial photography, nor is photog
raphy art when it masqueradeS as
painting or drawing, or when it is
even doctored up to represent sculp-
ture in order to create a bizarre fad
that will attract more money to the
photographer pocket for the time
being.
A most interesting and beautiful COL
lection of photographers work, which
unfortunately, the general public did
not get to see, was that displayed at
the E. V. King studio in Topeka on
Monday of this week, by members of
the North Eastern Kansas division of
the Missouri Valley Photographers
association.
The North Eastern Kansas division
held it's annual meeting in Topeka on
that day, and most of the twenty-one
out of town members brought with
them the best specimens of their work
done during the past year, not only to
show to the other members, but to
form a collection from which judges
could select a suitable exhibit for the
Missouri Valley Photographers big
annual exn1D1GlOn at Kansas City, MIS-
souri,, next March.
1t was the writer's pleasant privi-
eye to obtain an all-too-short look at
these fine specimens of the photOg
raphers' art. Much of the work was
truly a delight to the eye. and north
eastern Kansas has great reason to be
proud of the large number of its pho
tographers who are really artists of
decided ability.
Most of the pictures were portraits
or figure studies but there were also
several charming landscape studies,
or studies combining landscape and
figure. There were, besides, a few
studies of still life.
1t is to be hoped that the Topeka
Art Guild may some day have an eX-
hibition of the best work of Kansas
photographers. Such an exhibition
would be a most pleasing revelation
to the general public.
Mrs. L. C. Hodge, of Topeka, known
in the artists profession as Helen
Hodge. has just received news of her
election to membership in the West
Coast Art association.
The West Coast Art association is
exclusively of women, and it includes
most of the widely known woman
artists of the United States. Mrs.
Hodge enjoys the distinction of being
the only member in what is called the
middle west.
Mrs. Hodge spent most of last sum-
mer with the art colony at Laguna
Beach, Cal, and also did some work in
Colorado. At the request of the
Washburn college art faculty, she is
now holding a n exhibition of her latest
work, at Boswell Hall, where it may
be seen any day of this week and next
week, free of charge.
She had pictures in three exhibit
tions at Laguna Beach this year. Two
of these exhibitions consisted ex-
clusively of the work of the Laguna
Beach colony, and the other was the
West Coast Art associations exhibit
ton. OF the several hundred pictures
submitted for the last named, but
forty were accepted. Mrs. Hodges
paintings were included among the
forty accepted. Her work received
much favorable mention from the art
critic of the Los Angeles Times. Her
painting of a Kansas corn field in the
autumn was especially we'll liked.
The exhibition at Washburn coll
lege includes about twenty paintings
Three of these were painted in Kan
sas, two in Colorado, and the rest in
California.
The October meeting of the Topeka
Art Guild will be held Tuesday eve
ming, October 81, at o'clock, at the
Hodge studio, ia Kansas avenue. A
full attendance of the guilds mem
bers is requested, as matters of a most
important and interesting nature are
to be discussed.